Confronting Nuclear Proliferation Challenges: Iran and North Korea

This article examines the threat posed by Iran and North Korea, the two most serious nuclear proliferators challenging their respective regional orders, and the global nonproliferation regime. It examines two questions that have implications for assessing the ability of key international actors to confront not only Iran’s ongoing nuclear ambitions, but any future proliferator that embarks on a nuclear path in violation of its NPT commitments: how international actors choose to confront the proliferator, and their ability to cooperate effectively in pursuit of their shared nonproliferation goal. After a brief overview of the current situation in both Iran and North Korea, the article will assess the negotiations strategy used so far to rein in both proliferators, and the prospects for global powers to work together to get more effective nonproliferation policies on track.