Libya's disclosure of its clandestine nuclear weapons program, connected to an offer of dismantlement, promises to add another chapter to the surprisingly long list of countries that have abandoned the quest for the only true kind of weapons of mass destruction. Four states so far have handed over or dismantled existing nuclear devices. A larger number have stopped short of building them. In the Middle East, Algeria and Egypt already appear on the list, although many more such countries can be found in Latin America, Europe, and East Asia.

Libya's move is positive at any number of levels. Among other things, it helps to undermine the usual rationale put forward for Iranian nuclear weapons -- if Israel has them, then Muslim states in the region must also have them. But these revelations also offer signs of deeper troubles that threaten to accelerate the spread of nuclear weapons worldwide.

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by Analyst @ 12:55 PM CST [Link]