The Transition Period

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines nuclear decisions in Sweden, South Korea, and India. Opening with the start of the negotiations that would culminate in the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and ending with India’s peaceful nuclear explosion, the transition period (1965–1974) spans the years in which an international nuclear nonproliferation regime began. The increased difficulty of procuring unsafeguarded nuclear materials, equipment, and technology delayed progress and raised the costs of nuclear weapons pursuit, which affected decision-making. However, the nonproliferation regime was only in its initial stages during this period. In each of the three cases, significant program development and decision-making took place during the transition period. Each state faced serious security threats but did not wholly turn to nuclear weapons to counter those threats. Domestic experts that were able to exert influence on leaders attempted to portray the security environment in ways that would promote their nuclear program preferences but were not always successful.