South Africa remains the only state that developed a nuclear weapons capability, but ultimately decided to dismantle existing weapons and abandon the programme. Disarming Apartheid reconstructs the South African decision-making and diplomatic negotiations over the country's nuclear weapons programme and its international status, drawing on new and extensive archival material and interviews. This deeply researched study brings to light a unique disarmament experience. It traces the country's previously neglected path towards accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Rather than relying primarily on US government archives, the book joins the burgeoning field of national nuclear histories based on unprecedented access to policymakers and documents in the country studied. Robin E. Möser, in addition to providing access to important new documents, offers original interpretations that enrich the study of nuclear politics for historians and political scientists.

‘In Disarming Apartheid, Robin E. Möser provides an insightful and well-researched analysis of apartheid South Africa’s nuclear-disarmament process. The book builds on three decades of scholarship and illuminates pathway for rolling back a nuclear-weapons program.’

Stephen F. Burgess Source: The Nonproliferation Review

‘Möser has made a valuable contribution both to contemporary South African history and to our understanding of the emergence of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.’

Matthew Jones Source: Survival