Regional rivalries and nuclear responses. Volume 2. The south korean case: A nuclear weapons program embedded in an environment of great power concerns. sanitized. Final report, 8 November 1976-28 February 1978

Abstract : This report considers the possible role of nuclear weapons that might be possessed by new nuclear powers. It identifies the incentives for acquiring or, possibly, using such weapons. The study concludes that in many countries that could be candidates for nuclear proliferation, regional concerns usually dominate. However, apart from the national incentives, the repercussions of acquisition or use of nuclear weapons would be worldwide. The report is in three volumes, each addressing one key region of interest: the Arabian Sea--Iran-Pakistan-India; Northeast Asia--PRC-Korea-Japan; and the South China Sea--Taiwan-PRC-ASEAN (with focus on the Philippines)-Australia. The study recognizes that regions are, of course, not isolated from the larger world and some countries have an impact beyond a single region. This is most obviously true of the great powers. But Japanese interactions in the South China Sea and beyond are almost as critical as in Northeast Asia; similarly, India's actions impact strongly on Indonesia and the ASEAN nations; Iran is being watched by Arab neighbors to the west. However, the focus of the research is on regional interrelationships, with the larger interactions touched upon only lightly. (MM)