Will the U.S. strikes on Iran push China and North Korea to ramp up their nuclear arms programmes?

Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia Engagement at U.S.-based think tank Defence Priorities, said the legitimacy of the NPT framework would “inevitably suffer a blow since all signatories are entitled to develop nuclear power for peaceful purposes”.

“I recognise that this precedent could conceivably cause would-be proliferators to be more cautious,” Goldstein said.

“But on the whole I am more concerned that this further erodes norms—both with respect to attacking nuclear infrastructure as well as encouraging the dangerous practice of preventive war in general.”

Read at South China Morning Post

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Lyle
Goldstein

Director, Asia Program

Defense Priorities