Latin America and Contemporary Nuclear Challenges

Abstract: Latin American approaches to managing nuclear risks emphasize communal efforts promoting arms control, disarmament, and the irreversibility of nuclear nonproliferation. For these countries, nuclear weapons are not necessary for their security but, instead, represent the primary source of nuclear risks, regardless of who possesses them or how a possessor behaves. As a result, these countries have decided not to acquire these arsenals—but this decision is not automatic. Latin American countries have used the regional and global nonproliferation regimes to lock in this calculus and secure their access to peaceful atomic technologies. It would be a mistake, however, to take these institutions for granted and assume that they will keep managing nuclear risk automatically. The regional approaches may face challenges stemming from the intrinsic difficulties of utilizing peaceful nuclear technologies, the modernization efforts of nuclear powers, and escalating geopolitical tensions among great powers, especially if arms races extend to Latin America.