"As the world enters a new millennium, Northeast Asia has been witnessing the rising risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. This paper examines each of the specific risks that Northeast Asia is confronted with today, as far as nuclear nonproliferation efforts are concerned. It also attempts to define practical and effective ways to address the proliferation problems involved, and then offers a perspective as to what kind of role China is able to play in the regional efforts for nonproliferation and nuclear disarmament"--Publisher description.

To what extent does the failing strategy of nonproliferation pose serious challenges for Northeast Asia's security environment? Are there alternative strategies for managing nuclear weapons in the region? Should the presence of nuclear weapons in Northeast Asia necessarily be seen in exclusively negative terms, as many experts believe?

This work provides an analysis of North Korea's nuclear controversy from a variety of perspectives, including: nuclear reactor technology and technology transfer; economic sanctions and incentives; confidence-building measures; environmental challenges; and the views of Korea and the major powers.

The twenty articles in this report emanated from a conference in May 1994. Topics include security and disarmament; prospects for improving non-proliferation mechanisms; dealing with clandestine nuclear activities; the roles, responsibilities and management of nuclear weapons states; the technical potential for proliferation in Northeast Asian states; regional perspectives--Japan, the Korean peninsula, the USA, and Russia; and inter-relations between regional and global approaches. The final chapter includes the October 1994 US- DPRK agreement. No index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The contemporary nuclear landscape is rife with challenges. Stagnated progress in disarmament, widespread modernization plans, and emergent proliferation pathways are contributing to the risk of catastrophe. Meanwhile, global nuclear order appears more precarious than ever. This book makes a case for a regional reorientation of the nuclear nonproliferation regime, arguing that a more specialized, decentralized, and localized arrangement could more effectively address post-Cold War challenges. In the process, it develops a framework to analyze the conditions that would allow for more robust regional nuclear cooperation.?? Regional Pathways to Nuclear Nonproliferation includes a series of case studies, centering on Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. It provides a comprehensive overview of existing nuclear cooperation at the regional level, including in the context of nuclear-weapon-free zones. For each case, the book both analyzes the viability of a stronger regional nuclear order and considers the form such an order would likely take. What is the magnitude and character of the nuclear proliferation threat across different regions? What does the presence of institutions in economic, environmental, and human security domains suggest about the likelihood of addressing that threat? A better understanding of broader regional patterns may be the key to explaining the possibility of regional nuclear cooperation. It may also help identify means to effectuate the timing and scale of that cooperation, bolstering regional nuclear orders and, in turn, ensuring the viability of global nuclear order.