American reconnaissance satellite KH-4 CORONA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Article by Gerard C. Smith and Helena Cobban critiques US policy on nuclear proliferation, highlighting its leniency toward allies like Israel, which has undermined the global nonproliferation regime. It argues that American inconsistency, in which it has enabled a dangerous double standard in terms of Israel's nuclear proliferation, has eroded the credibility of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Published in 1989 against the backdrop of the late Cold War, this piece notes that the NPT was due for reconsideration in 1995. It calls for a reassessment of US commitments to nonproliferation, and urges a more uniform and principled approach to prevent further spread of nuclear weapons and holding allies like Israel to the same standard as other states. This source is valuable for historical context on Israeli nuclear ambiguity, nuclear proliferation, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and US-Israel relations.
