ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses four substantial themes: the origins of French nuclear testing in the South Pacific; the heightened sense of anti-nuclearism in the South Pacific. Third, the basis for the opposition to the resumption of nuclear testing by France; and the lines of action available to channel such opposition into policy measures designed to abort the testing. There are two main parts to the French case for renewed testing: first, Paris argues that it is necessary to update the current stock of ageing nuclear weapons and gather more data before shifting to an entirely computerized simulation. Second, Paris argues that physical tests are the only way to verify the safety and reliability of weapons stockpiles. The Jacques Chirac decision to resume nuclear testing may have been made in the mistaken belief that the anti-nuclear tide of public sentiment in the West had waned with the passing of the Cold War.
