Nukes, Lies, and International Organization

Mohamed ElBaradei’s book, The Age of Deception, highlights three emerging, important, and interwoven issues related to the prevention of nuclear proliferation: the prevalence of deception as an obstacle to both verification and the legitimacy of enforcement; the tension between the political construction of international legal rules regulating states’ nuclear behavior and their application; and the scope and limitation of appropriate nuclear activity by states. He illuminates these issues by sharing his first-hand experiences with the most prominent nuclear proliferation events of the last two decades in Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Libya, Syria, and with the AQ Khan network.

While The Age of Deception offers one critical perspective on these events, it also reveals the deep limitations of a memoir, undermining essential messages that bear directly on the future viability of the nuclear non-proliferation regime. (purchase article…)

Douglas B. Shaw serves as Associate Dean for Planning, Research and External Relations Assistant Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. Mr. Shaw’s previous experience includes his role as Director of Policy Planning at Georgetown University, his work at the U.S. Department of Energy, and his service at the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency for the White House Office of Presidential Personnel.

Image Credit: Staff Sgt. Emerson Nuñez, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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