I first learned about SA nuclear program in college and on occasion I've wonder what would have happened to the region had the apartheid government not voluntarily destroyed its nuclear arsenal before handing over the country to Mandela. I personally think that it would have been the cause of even more strife than what we have already seen in the region. What are your guys take on this?
A article on the subject
http://web.wm.edu/so/monitor/issues/08-1/4-adams.htm
A article on the subject
http://web.wm.edu/so/monitor/issues/08-1/4-adams.htm
Quote:
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On March 24, 1993, South African President F.W. de Klerk confirmed what had long been suspected: that South Africa had indeed developed a small nuclear weapons arsenal. Before a special joint-session of Parliament, de Klerk announced, At one stage South Africa did develop a limited nuclear deterrent capability of seven nuclear fission devices; however, early in 1990, final effect was given to decisions that all nuclear devices should be destroyed.[1] This announcement shocked the world. Not only had South Africa constructed nuclear weapons, but it also became the first state to voluntarily and unilaterally destroy the weapons it had developedthus the first incidence of a rollback. De Klerks candid announcement enabled much of the ambiguity surrounding South Africas nuclear capabilities to be resolved, making it possible to examine key questions about those activities more thoroughly. This essay will investigate the main questions about South Africas nuclear weapons program, examining the countrys motivations for proliferation, nuclear weapons program, nuclear strategy, and eventual destruction of its arsenal. |