The termination of the South African nuclear weapons program: an analysis of the reasons for dismantling, 1985-1993
South Africa is the only state to develop and later renounce nuclear weapons. Yet many questions about the scope of the program and the decisions that lead to its termination between 1989-90 remain. As access to archives and primary sources expands, the South African case deserves renewed attention.
In particular, this concerns the international dimension during the time preceding the first multiparty elections in 1994 and British and American involvement when the Cold War in Southern Africa came to an end. The last minority-government's decision to terminate the nuclear weapons program and accede to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons had not been taken in a political vacuum, therefore, a variety of factors should be taken into account when analyzing the South African case.
The dissertation project rests on interviews and archival research in South Africa, United Kingdom, Austria, United States and Germany.