| ID | 105979 |
| Title Proper | Revisiting Osirak |
| Other Title Information | preventive attacks and nuclear proliferation risks |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Braut-Hegghammer, Malfrid |
| Publication | 2011. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Thirty years after the Israeli attack on the Osirak reactor in June 1981 the consequences for Iraq's nuclear weapons program remain hotly debated. A new history of this program, based on several new Iraqi sources, yields a net assessment of the impact of the Israeli attack that differs from prevailing accounts. The attack had mixed effects: it triggered a covert nuclear weapons program that did not previously exist, while necessitating a more difficult and time-consuming technical route to developing nuclear weapons. Notwithstanding gross inefficiencies in the ensuing program, a decade later Iraq stood on the threshold of a nuclear weapons capability. This case suggests that preventive attacks can increase the long-term proliferation risk posed by the targeted state. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Security Vol. 36, No. 1; Sum 2011: p101-132 |
| Journal Source | International Security Vol. 36, No. 1; Sum 2011: p101-132 |
| Key Words | Nuclear Proliferation ; Attacks ; Iraq ; Nuclear Weapons - Iraq |