9 votes
Accepted

Why do countries typically build their own nuclear weapons rather than buy them?

Various international treaties often forbid countries from selling ready-made nuclear weapons to other countries. For example, the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty reads: Each nuclear-weapon ...
Philipp's user avatar
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7 votes
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What benefits are there for a nation to sign the NPT?

The issues involving Iran are quite exceptional, focusing primarily on these issues gives a rather misleading picture about the NPT. So, let's start with considering what the whole point of the NPT is....
Count Iblis's user avatar
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6 votes

Why do countries typically build their own nuclear weapons rather than buy them?

There are several reasons: Need for constant service and replacement. Nuclear weapons decay. The warhead is actually a constantly-running nuclear reactor. Plutonium-239 decays to Uranium-235, ...
Be Brave Be Like Ukraine's user avatar
6 votes

What are the implications of the poisoning of Alexey Navalny with respect to the proliferation and use of banned chemical weapons?

What are the implications of the poisoning of Alexey Navalny with respect to the proliferation and use of banned chemical weapons? Implications emboldened below. Why Putin deliberately uses Novichok ...
Rick Smith's user avatar
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4 votes

What effects can the nuclear attack on a non-nuclear country have on the deterrence and nonproliferation?

Here is the USA thinkings about what to do if Russia uses nuclear weapon in Ukraine (source): we would respond by leading a Nato – a collective – effort that would take out every Russian conventional ...
Stančikas's user avatar
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4 votes

What are the implications of the poisoning of Alexey Navalny with respect to the proliferation and use of banned chemical weapons?

Here's my answer, but it's really just a collection of thoughts for someone with more knowledge to build on: What action, if any, will the signatories take The brazen way with which these agents have ...
makelemonade's user avatar
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3 votes

Can North Korea open source its atomic bomb and missile technology?

Another point to add: The knowledge how to build an atomic bomb is a very old and common one, and you can in fact retrieve it from the internet. In fact, the principle is very simple: A mass of ...
Thern's user avatar
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3 votes
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Has Iran threatened to leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty before?

Yes, Iran previously threatened withdrawal from the NNPT in 2018. See, for example, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/24/iran-threatens-to-withdraw-from-nuclear-weapons-treaty-npt
Burt_Harris's user avatar
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2 votes

Can North Korea open source its atomic bomb and missile technology?

The design of nuclear bombs is well known by now. It's the enrichment facilities to separate the scarce (and fissionable) U-235 from the much more common U-238, and the reactor needed to make ...
tj1000's user avatar
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2 votes

Can North Korea open source its atomic bomb and missile technology?

Additionally to @oranges' answer, DPRK was specifically known for using its weapons know-how and products as a cash cow (notably, chemical weapons technology to Syria, and missile technology to Iran. ...
user4012's user avatar
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2 votes

What is the point in keeping China out of MTCR?

According to Wikipedia, China was rejected in 2004: In 2004 China applied to join the MTCR, but members did not offer China membership because of concerns about China's export control standards. ...
Brythan's user avatar
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2 votes

Why is nobody worried about Pakistan's nuclear program?

What makes you believe nobody is worried about Pakistan? The international reactions back in 1998 were similar to those to Iran today, including sanctions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chagai-I#...
Tom's user avatar
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