Atomic Bombast: Nuclear Weapon Decisionmaking in Sweden, 1945-1972
by Paul M. Cole
Paul Cole, in his study of Sweden's "virtual" nuclear capability, demonstrates that decisions related to nuclear weapons are likely to involve a complex calculus of international, domestic, and cultural/historical factors and to entail multiple decisions. Before Sweden finally signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1972, Swedish leaders had embarked on a research program that provided the country with the know-how required to produce sophisticated nuclear weaponry even without actual testing. Although Sweden made a conscious choice not to become a nuclear weapon state and submitted its nuclear facilities to international inspections under the NPT, it still retains the capability to produce nuclear weapons. As Cole reminds us, a distinction must be made between the technical ability to produce nuclear weapons and the political will to do so, both of which are necessary for a country to acquire nuclear weapons. His study underscores the important -- and often decisive -- role domestic political structures and political culture may play in proliferation incentives and disincentives.
