ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses that North Korea and Iran are Illicit Nuclear Aspirants – unique set of states that have signed onto the landmark Non-Proliferation Treaty. It demonstrates the superpower categorizes North Korea and Iran as vaguely similar threats, but this literature lacks a theoretically cohesive and empirically grounded explanation for grouping these two states together. The book focuses on the contemporary illicit nuclear aspirants in order to provide greater depth to our analysis that seeks to make sense of and leverage the contemporary and long-standing cases that continue to afflict the international community. However, UN Security Council action comes rather late in a country's nuclear development, and it provides an insufficient barometer to define these states under consideration. North Korea and Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons preceded their designation by the Security Council by decades.
