AP Photo
Summer 2011
"Saddam, Israel, and the Bomb: Nuclear Alarmism Justified?"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 1, volume 36
By Hal Brands and David Palkki
According to new documentation obtained during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein was actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons in order to neutralize the Israeli nuclear threat since 1979. Having the ability to counteract Israeli threats of nuclear retaliation would enable Saddam to conduct a long and grueling “war of attrition” against the Jewish state. Such evidence undermines the prevailing theory that countries acquire nuclear technology almost exclusively for defensive purposes and also casts a new light on Israel’s decision to attack the Osirak reactor.
