ABSTRACT

The central technological divide of the nuclear order between “military” and “peaceful” nuclear technology rests on “deterrence” and its “absence”. While a divide is being constructed, the technologies are the same. A secondary distinction is created by the way international control is required for military and peaceful uses respectively. To distinguish the proliferators from non-proliferators without objective technological criteria leads to an assessment of the users' intentions. States are divided, given the interpretative flexibility of nuclear technology, into those with “good” and those with “evil” intentions. The critical technology policy question is whether to share or to deny access to nuclear technology. The chapter ends with the story of Iran, both an ally and a foe of the US, demonstrating how a technological frame of a nation survives even a radical regime change.