The Worst-Kept Secret: Israel's Bargain with the Bomb

About this book

Israel has made a unique contribution to the nuclear age. It has created a special "bargain" with the bomb. Israel is the only nuclear-armed state that does not acknowledge its possession of the bomb even though its existence is a common knowledge throughout the world. It only says that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East. The bomb is Israels collective ineffablethe nations last great taboo. This bargain has a name: in Hebrew it is called amimut or opacity. By adhering to the bargain which was born in a secret deal between Richard Nixon and Golda Meir Israel has created a code of nuclear conduct that encompasses both governmental policy and societal behavior. The bargain has deemphasized the salience of nuclear weapons yet it is incompatible with the norms and values of a liberal democracy. It relies on secrecy violates the public right to know and undermines the norm of public accountability and oversight among other offenses. It is also incompatible with emerging international nuclear norms. Author of the critically acclaimed Israel and the Bomb Avner Cohen offers a bold and original study of this politically explosive subject. Along with a fair appraisal of the bargains strategic merits Cohen critiques its undemocratic flaws. Arguing that the bargain has become increasingly anachronistic he calls for a reform in line with domestic democratic values as well as current international nuclear norms. Most ironic he believes Iran is imitating Israeli amimut. Cohen concludes with fresh perspectives on Iran Israel and the effort toward global disarmament.