New Nuclear Posture Review is deeply flawed

To the Editor:

The new United States Nuclear Posture Review is deeply flawed. Shying away from a pledge of no first use, it in fact allows for certain contingencies in which nuclear weapons would be used in conventional theater. Second, it uses the threat of nuclear terrorism as a justification for indefinite postponement of a general disarmament.

Third, instead of “rebuilding” the nonproliferation regime, the doctrine’s explicit nuclear bullying of proliferation-prone countries actually increases their insecurity and perceived need for nuclear deterrence, thus achieving the opposite result of its intended purposes.

Finally, the review fails to criticize Israel’s nuclear buildup and/or support the United Nations’ idea of a Middle East nuclear-free zone.

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi
Cambridge, Mass., April 7, 2010

The writer is the author of books about Iran’s foreign and nuclear policies and was an adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiation team, 2004-05.