Since the Hiroshima and Nagasaki attacks, no state has unleashed nuclear weapons. What explains this? According to the author, the answer lies in a prohibition inherent in thetradition of non-use, a time-honored obligation that has been adhered to by all nuclear states-thanks to a consensus view that use would have a catastrophic impact on humankind, the environment, and the reputation of the user. The book offers an in-depth analysis of the nuclear policies of the U. S. , Russia, China, the UK, France, India, Israel, and Pakistan and assesses the contributions of these states to the rise and persistence of the tradition of nuclear non-use. It examines the influence of the tradition on the behavior of nuclear and non-nuclear states in crises and wars, and explores the tradition's implications for nuclear non-proliferation regimes, deterrence theory, and policy. And it concludes by discussing the future of the tradition in the current global security environment.
Copyright:
2009
Book Details
Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
ISBN-13:
9780804771009
Publisher:
Stanford University Press
Date of Addition:
04/03/12
Copyrighted By:
the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.