ABSTRACT
This chapter examines proliferation motivations from various levels of analysis to explain Pakistan's need for nuclear weapons in the context of the South Asian protracted conflict. It determines which motivation best explains Pakistan's acquisition of nuclear weapons. The chapter begins with the individual-level motivation, domestic and systemic explanations. Pakistan has been ruled by military dictators for three quarters of its existence and the military's influence in the overall administration, development and decision-making has always been enormous. Given the Pakistani military's standing in the country, it is possible to assume that it was military-bureaucratic politics which made the country go nuclear. An understanding of the relationship between public opinion and nuclear weapons acquisition requires that two important points be considered: whether Pakistan's nuclear policy has been consistent with public opinion, and what extent public opinion has been considered by decision-makers in making nuclear decisions. One of the several motivations that might drive states to acquire nuclear weapons is economic.
