Ali Mazrui’s nuclear pragmatism: could it inspire practical policies to reduce nuclear threats?

Ali Mazrui, the Kenyan scholar, observed that a stockpile of nuclear weapons is not a regrettable side effect of a more legitimate process; it is something that is purposefully designed to instantly kill millions of people upon the pressing of a button. Mazrui raised this often-ignored—but intuitively obvious—point while comparing the crises of global survival, including climate change and nuclear war. His reminder seems prescient. The Russia–Ukraine war, potential fractures in US extended deterrence, and the Israeli and US strikes on Iran have triggered fears of nuclear arms races, nuclear proliferation, and even nuclear war. Grappling with these challenges may require creative and even radical ideas that depart from established practices. In that spirit, this article outlines Mazrui’s “nuclear pragmatism,” which holds that a modest horizontal nuclear proliferation—namely, the spread of nuclear arms to new Global South actors—is necessary for universal nuclear disarmament. Mazrui believed this could fundamentally change the mindsets of major nuclear powers’ leaders, highlighting risks and encouraging them to abolish their arsenals. This seemingly counterintuitive idea is the product of rigorous theorizing but has long been overlooked in the Western canon of security studies. The article argues that today’s nuclear threats should encourage scholars and analysts to “look outside the box” and give Mazrui’s work close examination.