For over a decade, much of the literature on nuclear proliferation and many of the policy conversations have focused on the Iranian programme. Living on the Edge: Iran and the Practice of Nuclear Hedging builds on the authors' previous work. It develops the concept of nuclear hedging - a proliferation behaviour that occupies the space between determined nuclear weapons acquisition and nuclear weapons restraint. It focuses primarily on how the concept relates to Iran's nuclear challenge since revelations of undeclared facilities in 2002. In doing so, it assesses the factors that have driven and limited Tehran's proliferation behaviour, and are likely to continue to do so in the future. Although 2015 saw the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), heralded as a landmark agreement for the rolling back of Tehran's nuclear capabilities, the case of the Iranian nuclear programme is not closed. This book has high relevance not just for its assessments; it also provides a unique model for understanding the future of Iranian behaviour.
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