When it was first published, Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation provided an urgently needed analysis of the history and current events in nuclear armament and disarmament around the globe. But in just a few short years, developments in Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia have produced some of the most serious nuclear challenges ever faced by the United States and the international community.

An updated edition of ABC-CLIO's classic reference book on nuclear arms programs and proliferation in nations around the world.

Fully updated and revised since its initial publication, Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation, Second Edition explores all key issues related to the proliferation of nuclear weapons and efforts to curb them, from the U.S. atomic bomb project during World War II to current debates on nuclear terrorism, North Korea’s nuclear test, and Iran’s enrichment program.

Nuclear Weapons and Nonproliferation, Second Edition clarifies weapons-related policy debates from both U.S. and international perspectives, offering a detailed look at current technologies, arsenals, weapons tests, and nonproliferation efforts. Readers will find expert analysis of such crucial recent events as Libya’s disarmament, the failed WMD search in Iraq, A.Q. Khan’s nuclear technology black market, “dirty bombs,” developments in North Korea and Iran, and the U.S. plan to aid India’s nuclear program—plus recent progress (or lack thereof) on a range of treaties and initiatives.

• Primary documents include an excerpt from the 1945 U.S. report on the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the text of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and the UN resolution sanctioning North Korea for its nuclear test
• A detailed and updated chronology highlights major events between 1939–2007 pertaining to the buildup of nuclear weapons and the efforts to control and dismantle them