IWP faculty member Henry D. Sokolski, executive director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center and former Deputy for Nonproliferation Policy in the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, shared his thoughts on a program entitled “India and China’s Race to Naval Superiority” on Center for Security Policy’s Secure Freedom Radio. The author of Best of Intentions: America’s Campaign Against Strategic Weapons Proliferation 1945-2000, and professional who has built his career in national security and defense, he analyzed Iran’s longstanding efforts to obtain nuclear arms and the necessity of nonproliferation.
Prof. Sokolski suggested a number of plausible scenarios concerning Iran’s nuclear weapon policy, including the idea that Iran could operate a smaller number of centrifuges and a reactor that does not produce as much plutonium. He noted that the recycling of spent fuel could also be cause for concern, as it could allow Iran easy access to weapons-grade nuclear material. He pointed out that it is a challenge for the U.S. to conduct comprehensive nuclear inspections, especially of fuel making plants. Lastly, he argued for the necessity of protecting nuclear nonproliferation treaties to restrain further increases of nuclear armaments across the globe.