WMD and Missile Proliferation: Threats or Just Risks?
Apr 2006, Vol. 151, No. 2
By Duncan Lennox
Nations have developed nuclear warheads and missiles for power projection, either regional or global, as well as for their deterrent value. This power is political, economic and military. It should not be surprising, therefore, that other nations should aspire to a similar capability for exactly the same reasons. We can look back and see over the last sixty years that, as the number of nuclear and missile nations has increased, these nations appear to have felt content with their achievement. The deterrent power of such awesome weapons should never be overlooked, and we need to consider carefully the question of whether any nation would use WMD against a nuclear-armed opponent and invite a devastating response.
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By Duncan Lennox
Nations have developed nuclear warheads and missiles for power projection, either regional or global, as well as for their deterrent value. This power is political, economic and military. It should not be surprising, therefore, that other nations should aspire to a similar capability for exactly the same reasons. We can look back and see over the last sixty years that, as the number of nuclear and missile nations has increased, these nations appear to have felt content with their achievement. The deterrent power of such awesome weapons should never be overlooked, and we need to consider carefully the question of whether any nation would use WMD against a nuclear-armed opponent and invite a devastating response.
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