Robert Kelley

Dr. Hassan Elbahtimy, a War Studies lecturer at King's College London, and Robert Kelley, a seasoned nuclear engineer, delve into Libya's nuclear aspirations from Gaddafi's rise to the 2003 renunciation. They discuss Libya's connections with the A.Q. Khan network and the implications of discovering Pakistani weapon designs. The conversation reveals how political motives and strategic backchannel diplomacy influenced Libya’s nuclear decisions and critiques the concept of the 'Libyan Model' for non-proliferation. Their insights highlight the complexities of verification and the importance of state capacity.