Publication

The 1981 Israeli aerial strike on Iraqi nuclear facilities at Osiraq is frequently cited as a successful use of preventive military force. The author claims, however, that closer examination of the Osiraq attack reveals that it did not substantially delay the Iraqi nuclear program and may have even hastened it. He concludes that given the poor track record of preventive attacks in controlling the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, US interests will be best served in the future by embracing other tools of counterproliferation.