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When states seek to bolster their own security, they often consider some degree of nuclear weapons development along the way. More than just “sprinting for a bomb,” states have many paths and degrees of proliferation options available to them. As a central force in informing and enabling those options, technology holds a special role in nuclear proliferation. Whether it’s advanced engineering technologies that enable a faster or quieter development process, or the digital technologies that support a more theoretical “hedging” approach, leaders should take special note of how available and emerging technologies shape the proliferation landscape.

In his new book, Seeking the Bomb, MIT’s Vipin Narang breaks down these various options and pathways toward nuclear-backed security. On February 15, 2022, IST’s Leah Walker hosted a conversation with Dr. Narang for an incisive look at his findings and an open conversation about the prospects for nuclear proliferators and the nonproliferation regime in the years to come.