Going Nuclear (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 247 it was the Palestine crisis, Porath argues, that "stands as perhaps the single most important factor which contributed to the growth of the pan-Arab ideology, to the feeling of solidarity among the Arab peoples and to the attempt at shaping a unified general Arab position and policy." Indeed, the Palestinian Arabs actively sought the support of the other Arabs. The British policy toward pan-Arabism in the interwar years was marked by ambivalence and ambiguity. This policy was motivated partly by concerns about how Arab unity would affect the British strategic interests in the Middle East. Perhaps more important, however, the diverse interests and perceptions of the various government departments dealing with the Middle East, and the infighting among them, made policymaking difficult if not impossible. Finally, British commitments to various allies and friends— including the French, who were resolutely opposed to pan-Arabism; the Zionists; and various Arab regimes— made any clear-cut decision fraught with danger. The British policy can thus be characterized as a delicate balancing act based on procrastination. In reading In Search ofArab Unity, it is impossible not to get a sense of déjà vu, or to conclude that little has changed. The competition among various regimes in the Arab world for preeminence and the narrow self-interest of the national leaderships remain fundamental characteristics of Arab politics, as do the conflicting and even contradictory commitments of an outside great power. Indeed, this sense strikes one in the opening pages, which describe the Iran-Iraq conflict during the 1930s and Iraq's subsequent decision to "look for a wider framework in which it might feel more secure." (The main difference is that in the 1930s Iraq looked toward Syria, while today these two countries are archenemies.) In Search ofArab Unity is based mainly on British archival material and is prodigiously footnoted. Notwithstanding the occasionally cumbersome writing, In Search ofArab Unity, like Porath's two volumes on politics in Palestine between the world wars, is a basic source on Arab politics during a crucial stage in the political development of the Middle East. Going Nuclear. By Leonard S. Spector. Cambridge, Mass.: Ballinger Publishing Company, 1987. 370 pp. $9.95/paper. Reviewed by Matthew A. Baum, M.A. candidate, SAIS. One critical, though often deemphasized, aspect of the arms control process is a multilateral desire to minimize (if not eliminate) the possibility of nuclear weapons proliferation beyond the five existing recognized nuclear powers. This concern arises from the fear that unstable or volatile governments in possession of nuclear weapons may not abide by standard international norms of behavior and responsibility. Although a nuclear nonproliferation regime, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been established and institutionalized during the past twenty years, many nations have subordinated their commitment to preventing the spread of nuclear weapons to what are perceived 248 SAIS REVIEW to be more critical national interests. Furthermore, many of the nations that have demonstrated an interest in acquiring nuclear weapons have refused to subject their nuclear programs to IAEA safeguards (for example, regulations and inspections required under the Non-Proliferation Treaty). In Going Nuclear Leonard S. Spector presents a survey, updated through early 1987, of the current multinational efforts, led by the IAEA, to limit the spread of nuclear weapons technology and materials. Spector has identified those nations that are considered by many to be the principle threats to the nonproliferation regime. These nations, according to Spector, are Argentina, Brazil, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Pakistan, and South Africa. Each of the nations mentioned is discussed at length as Spector presents both that nation's history regarding its attempts to acquire nuclear weapons capabilities and its most recent activities in this area. Through such a historical perspective the reader is familiarized with each nation's political and strategic motivations for desiring nuclear weapons. Spector also provides information on their degree of success or failure in acquiring such weapons as of 1987. In addition, he analyzes each nation's likelihood of obtaining nuclear weapons in the future. The discussions of the aforementioned nations' nuclear programs are both thorough and easy to understand. Furthermore, Spector's analysis and insight are extremely successful in...