Weapons Proliferation

Paper Summary:

This paper briefly discusses the threat that WMD pose to America because of the trading of nuclear weapons. It discusses the treaty signed by most countries in the world and how UN control of the trade of these weapons is essential in preventing a disastrous nuclear war.

From the Paper:

"Weapons proliferation, simply defined, is the rapid increase or spread of weapons in the context of global security. If we are to measure the weapons capabilities of the world, the United States retains the lion's share: in 2002 the Economist estimated that American military spending would exceed 379 billion in 2003 (Economist, 6/18/2002.) For comparison's sake, Russia, the world's second largest nuclear power, had a total GDP of merely 346.6 billion in 2002 (Economist, 7/22/2003.) However, the "balance of terror" that underscored the cold war era was in many ways much safer than the current situation. Whereas "weapons proliferation" once referred to the number of weapons in existence, it has taken on a new meaning; it now is usually meant to reflect the number of political entities capable of using weapons of mass destruction. The number of such countries has increased beyond UN Security Council permanent members to include India, Pakistan, Israel and perhaps most notably North Korea."

More papers on Weapons Proliferation:

• Essay # 143783 : "The Problem Of Nuclear Weapons"
• Research Paper # 114136 : "Nuclear Proliferation Policy"
• Research Paper # 50613 : "Weapons of Mass Destruction"

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