Introduction

Abstract

What is the nature of small state proliferation behavior? Answering this question involves working from the individual to the international environment, which produces the structure of the security dilemma. Incorporating John Boyd’s dialect engine and Observe, Orient, Decision, and Action (OODA) Loop, this study demonstrates small state proliferation is an exercise in state building and is not necessarily a strategic activity. The significance of this work is it increases our understanding of how to prevent a crisis based on proliferation issues from turning into a war.