Journal Article - International Security

Why Nuclear Energy Programs Rarely Lead to Proliferation

| Fall 2017

Summary

Contrary to conventional wisdom, states with nuclear energy programs are not more likely than those without them to seek or acquire nuclear weapons, for two reasons. Nuclear energy programs attract monitoring that can detect weapons programs, and they make potential proliferators more vulnerable to nonproliferation sanctions. The United States should therefore bolster nonproliferation intelligence-gathering efforts and enhance its capacity to inflict costly sanctions on proliferators.

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:

Nicholas L. Miller, "Why Nuclear Energy Programs Rarely Lead to Proliferation," International Security, Vol. 42, No. 2 (Fall 2017), pp. 40–77, doi:10.1162/ISEC_a_00293.

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