Nuclear bombs: A poor country's short cut to international notoriety

Pakistan is a poor country; yet it has been able to develop and detonate a nuclear device. This has been accomplished by transferring resources from t he general educational and scientific development of society to serve the c ountry's security needs as perceived by the defense establishment-and this has meant a singleminded pursuit of acquiring the bomb. This article argues , ho,however, that the country's precarious economic situation and dismal i nfrastructure of science and technology can guarantee neither a,viable nucl ear capability, nor a sound basis for national security.