Globalization and Proliferation: A Presentation to a Workshop of Proliferation Networks at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, 29 June - 1 July, 2005

This paper was prepared for a conference on proliferation networks held at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, from 29 June to 1 July 2005. The conference was sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). The general proposition of the paper is that both globalization as we know it and proliferation -- particularly, nuclear proliferation, which is discussed in this paper -- started in 1945 with the end of World War II. The spread of globalization, especially after the end of the Cold War in 1989, has been extensive, moving immense numbers of people out of poverty. In contrast, nuclear proliferation has been sparse, with only 8 members of the set and two others (North Korea and Iran) about to join. Proliferation is an aspect of globalization, but it is at the moment a choice of those countries opting out of globalization. The prospects of terrorists getting nuclear weapons is exceedingly remote.