The Nonproliferation Predicament

The Nonproliferation Predicament is an authoritative and comprehensive look at U.S. nonprolif-eration policy. Top U.S. scholars, analysts, and policymakers focus on the period since the Reagan administration took office and address several questions about the current state of nuclear proliferation: As the international non-proliferation regime evolves will it continue to be responsive to the problem of proliferation? Or will it become superannuated by new technologies, or enmeshed in domestic and international political controversies and conflicting interests? What nonproliferation policies are likely to be effective in the 1980s and beyond, as nations continue efforts to establish and expand nuclear industrial bases, providing them with capabilities useful for the pursuit of weapons options in the future? Does the stagnation of the international nuclear market and the difficulties of nuclear threshold states like India give reasons for hope? Or will the limited proliferation of the past prove to have been a passing anomaly in military history?

The Nonproliferation Predicament is an authoritative and comprehensive look at U.S. nonprolif-eration policy. Top U.S. scholars, analysts, and policymakers focus on the period since the Reagan administration took office and address several questions about the current state of nuclear proliferation: As the international non-proliferation regime evolves will it continue to be responsive to the problem of proliferation? Or will it become superannuated by new technologies, or enmeshed in domestic and international political controversies and conflicting interests? What nonproliferation policies are likely to be effective in the 1980s and beyond, as nations continue efforts to establish and expand nuclear industrial bases, providing them with capabilities useful for the pursuit of weapons options in the future? Does the stagnation of the international nuclear market and the difficulties of nuclear threshold states like India give reasons for hope? Or will the limited proliferation of the past prove to have been a passing anomaly in military history?

How have the September 11th terrorist attacks and the subsequent U.S. led war on terrorism impacted American foreign policy at home and abroad? The consistent theme throughout this collection of essays is that September 11th was a watershed event, which sparked a redefinition and reassessment of U.S. foreign policy, governmental institutions, and the public's sense of internal and external security. The Bush Administration's endeavor to remake American foreign policy with an emphasis on a preemptive, first strike doctrine and its attempt to build an internal security apparatus are not only consequential in the war on terrorism, such efforts are challenging the very fundamentals of American political life and its perception throughout the world.

What were the calculations made by the US and its major allies in the 1960s when they faced the signing of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)? These were all states with the technological and financial capabilities to develop and possess nuclear weapons should they wish to do so. In the end, only the United Kingdom and France became nuclear weapon states. Eventually, all of them joined the non-proliferation regime. Leading American, British, Canadian, French, German and Japanese scholars consider key questions that faced the signatories to the NPT: How imperative was nuclear deterrence in facing the perceived threat to their country? How reliable did they think the US extended deterrence was, and how costly would an independent deterrent be both financially and politically? Was there a regional option? How much future was there in the civilian nuclear energy sector for their country and what role would the NPT play in this area? What capabilities needed to be preserved for the country’s future and how could this be made compatible with the NPT? What were the determining factors of deciding whether to join the NPT?

Leading international security scholars and policy advisors from universities, think-tanks, and nuclear weapons laboratories in the United States analyze the future of nuclear weapons proliferation. In April 1995, the earlier 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was renewed indefinitely and without change to the original clauses of the treaty. The authors examine the continuing relevance or irrelevance of the old treaty, the role of coercive sanctions in enforcing restraint, and the impact of biological, chemical and missile proliferation on the nuclear motives and ambitions of various states. Attention is given to proliferation conditions in the former Soviet republics, East and South Asia and the Middle East.

Despite post-Cold War arguments about their demise, ‘Great Powers’ not only continue to thrive, with lesser Powers they form the basis of the constellation of global politics. This topical new Handbook illustrates how and why the new international order has evolved – and is still evolving – since the end of the Cold War, through the application of diplomacy and statecraft. Including cutting edge contributions from over 40 scholars, the handbook is structured around seven sections: Context of Diplomacy Great Powers Middle Powers Developing Powers International Organisations and Military Alliances International Economy Issues of Conflict and Co-operation Through analysis of a wide range of case studies, the Handbook assesses the diplomacy and statecraft of individual powers, offering insights into how they function, their individual perception of national interests and the roles they play in modern statecraft. The contributors also seek to evaluate the organizations and contemporary issues that continue to influence the shaping of the new international order. A comprehensive survey of diplomacy across the world, this work will be essential reading for scholars and professionals alike.

In this study, first published in 1966, Quester analyzes pre-nuclear age theories of deterrence to equip us with perspective and data by which current theories can be evaluated. Quester presents a forceful argument in support of the relevance of history to discussions of military strategy.