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{
  "authors": [
    "Ariel (Eli) Levite"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
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  "collections": [
    "U.S. Nuclear Policy"
  ],
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  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "NPP",
  "programs": [
    "Nuclear Policy"
  ],
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    "North America",
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  "topics": [
    "Nuclear Policy",
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}

Source: Getty

Other

Criteria for the Assessment of Undeclared Nuclear Weapons Development

The realization that nuclear technology is, at its core, dual-use in nature occurred early on in the nuclear age, and it has been fundamental to every effort to harness the positive potential widely believed to be inherent in nuclear technology, while minimizing its risks.

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By Ariel (Eli) Levite
Published on Dec 31, 2014
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Nuclear Policy

The Nuclear Policy Program aims to reduce the risk of nuclear war. Our experts diagnose acute risks stemming from technical and geopolitical developments, generate pragmatic solutions, and use our global network to advance risk-reduction policies. Our work covers deterrence, disarmament, arms control, nonproliferation, and nuclear energy.

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Source: The Limits of Secure Nuclear Tolerance, Moscow, National Institute of Corporate Reform

The realization that nuclear technology is, at its core, dual-use in nature occurred early on in the nuclear age, and it has been fundamental to every effort to harness the positive potential widely (though by no means universally) believed to be inherent in nuclear technology, while minimizing its risks.

Every plan unveiled since the mid-1940s to deal with the promotion of nuclear energy has in one way or another tried to address this complexity. Yet overtime this complex reality has only become more sobering.

While it has long been recognized that multiple paths may lead to nuclear weapons acquisition, it is widely believed that the diversity of these paths has grown considerably over the years, largely as a result of the accumulation and dissemination of the nuclear knowledge, experience, and capabilities necessary to acquire nuclear weapons, as well as the diminution of the costs associated with such processes.

Alternative explanations for engaging in many activities indispensable for realizing nuclear weapons aspirations abound, be they in the conventional military domain, peaceful nuclear or scientific pursuits, or even nuclear military realms other than weapons.

The full article is published in Viatcheslav Kantor (Ed.) The Limits of Secure Nuclear Tolerance, Moscow, National Institute of Corporate Reform, 2014.

About the Author

Ariel (Eli) Levite

Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Technology and International Affairs Program

Levite was the principal deputy director general for policy at the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission from 2002 to 2007.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    Demystifying the Nuclear Threshold

      Ariel (Eli) Levite, Toby Dalton

  • Article
    Promoting Responsible Nuclear Energy Conduct: An Agenda for International Cooperation

      Ariel (Eli) Levite, Toby Dalton

Ariel (Eli) Levite
Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Technology and International Affairs Program
Ariel (Eli) Levite
Nuclear PolicyNuclear EnergyNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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