ABSTRACT
Yugoslavia initiated its nuclear program in the late 1940s, intending to produce nuclear weapons. Facing what seemed to be an imminent Soviet attack, the acquisition of such an effective deterrence became imperative in the minds of the Yugoslav decision-makers. By the early 1960s, these security challenges had dissipated, and so did the utility of nuclear weapons in Yugoslav security calculations. As one of the leading nations in the emerging Nonaligned Movement (NAM), Yugoslavia gradually started to champion complete nuclear disarmament as an essential precondition for the “peaceful coexistence” of nations. These were the main pillars on which Belgrade’s nuclear policy was gradually formulated during the 1960s. Focusing on the Yugoslav participation in the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) negotiations, the chapter investigates the background of this process in which Yugoslavia transformed itself from a country desperate to develop nuclear weapons into one of the strongest advocates of complete nuclear disarmament. The main argument is that, despite the alluring rhetoric, ambitious goals, and calls for international cooperation in the NPT negotiations on an equal basis, the Yugoslav nuclear policy was based almost exclusively on selfish national security interests and estimates.
