Nuclear Bargains Reviewed

Washington's Cold War nuclear deals and what they mean for Iran

Or (Ori) Rabinowitz, author of Bargaining on Nuclear Tests, discussed her research in the context of the looming dead-line for the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 on the future of Iran’s nuclear program.

Bargaining on Nuclear Tests demonstrates that the 1969 bilateral American-Israeli deal on Israel’s nuclear ambiguity was not an exception; it served as the model for two following nuclear bargains with Pakistan and South Africa. Dr. Rabinowitz's research demonstrates that Washington’s willingness to reach such nuclear bargains is influenced by superior geo-strategic considerations that override non-proliferation policies. The fate of the Pakistani and the South African deals should serve as a stark reminder to Israeli policymakers that understandings can expire when bilateral interests no longer converge. 

About the speaker

Or (Ori) Rabinowitz, an Israeli Chevening Scholar, is a post-doctoral fellow at Tel-Aviv University and a research associate at the Centre for Science and Security Studies, King's College London (KCL). She holds a PhD degree awarded by the War Studies Department of KCL, an MA degree in Security Studies and an LLB degree in Law, both from Tel-Aviv University. Before turning to academia Dr. Rabinowitz has worked as a news desk editor in several Israeli media outlets. Her book, Bargaining on Nuclear Tests was published in April 2014 by Oxford University Press.

Related NPIHP Publications

• Advance Warning: Reagan and South Africa's Nuclear Testing Promise

• Israeli Prime Minister writes to Thatcher in 1979, warning of the threat posed by Pakistan's Nuclear Program