The Consequences Of American Nuclear Disarmament

Author : Christine M. Leah
Publisher : Springer
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2017-02-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9783319507217

Get Book

The Consequences of American Nuclear Disarmament by Christine M. Leah Pdf

This book is about the future of nuclear weapons, geopolitics, and strategy. It examines the legacy of nuclear weapons on US thinking about some concepts of strategy and geopolitics, namely deterrence, extended deterrence, alliances, and arms control. The purpose of this is to demonstrate just how fundamentally nuclear weapons have influenced American thinking about these concepts. It argues that, given the extent of nuclear weapons' influence on these concepts and the implications for international security, further reductions beyond current Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) levels, and the more absolute idea of nuclear disarmament, may not necessarily be prudent ideas. Nuclear weapons have contributed to the avoidance of major war between states, made alliances more credible and last longer, and have made arms control relatively easier to conceptualize and manage. As such, the author argues, these concepts may become even more difficult to manage in a world where nuclear weapons are marginalized.

Author : Fred Solomon,Robert Q. Marston,Lewis Thomas,Steering Committee for the Symposium on the Medical Implications of Nuclear War,Institute of Medicine
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 609 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 1986-01-15
Category : Science
ISBN : 0309078660

Get Book

The Medical Implications of Nuclear War by Fred Solomon,Robert Q. Marston,Lewis Thomas,Steering Committee for the Symposium on the Medical Implications of Nuclear War,Institute of Medicine Pdf

Written by world-renowned scientists, this volume portrays the possible direct and indirect devastation of human health from a nuclear attack. The most comprehensive work yet produced on this subject, The Medical Implications of Nuclear War includes an overview of the potential environmental and physical effects of nuclear bombardment, describes the problems of choosing who among the injured would get the scarce medical care available, addresses the nuclear arms race from a psychosocial perspective, and reviews the medical needs--in contrast to the medical resources likely to be available--after a nuclear attack. "It should serve as the definitive statement on the consequences of nuclear war."--Arms Control Today

Author : Stephen I. Schwartz
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
Page : 750 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2011-12-01
Category : History
ISBN : 081572294X

Get Book

Atomic Audit by Stephen I. Schwartz Pdf

Since 1945, the United States has manufactured and deployed more than 70,000 nuclear weapons to deter and if necessary fight a nuclear war. Some observers believe the absence of a third world war confirms that these weapons were a prudent and cost-effective response to the uncertainty and fear surrounding the Soviet Union's military and political ambitions during the cold war. As early as 1950, nuclear weapons were considered relatively inexpensive— providing "a bigger bang for a buck"—and were thoroughly integrated into U.S. forces on that basis. Yet this assumption was never validated. Indeed, for more than fifty years scant attention has been paid to the enormous costs of this effort—more than $5 trillion thus far—and its short and long-term consequences for the nation. Based on four years of extensive research, Atomic Audit is the first book to document the comprehensive costs of U.S. nuclear weapons, assembling for the first time anywhere the actual and estimated expenditures for the program since its creation in 1940. The authors provide a unique perspective on U.S. nuclear policy and nuclear weapons, tracking their development from the Manhattan Project of World War II to the present day and assessing each aspect of the program, including research, development, testing, and production; deployment; command, control, communications, and intelligence; and defensive measures. They also examine the costs of dismantling nuclear weapons, the management and disposal of large quantities of toxic and radioactive wastes left over from their production, compensation for persons harmed by nuclear weapons activities, nuclear secrecy, and the economic implications of nuclear deterrence. Utilizing archival and newly declassified government documents and data, this richly documented book demonstrates how a variety of factors—the open-ended nature of nuclear deterrence, faulty assumptions about the cost-effectiveness of nuclear weapons, regular misrepresentati

Author : Jonathan Pearl
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 72 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Nuclear disarmament
ISBN : UOM:39015088041358

Get Book

Forecasting Zero by Jonathan Pearl Pdf

A vigorous debate is occurring among American elites with respect to whether and when the United States should relinquish its nuclear weapons. Bolstering hopes for tangible results is that a U.S. President is again publicly and forcefully supporting disarmament. While this debate, which addresses both technical and political factors related to abolition, may be the most serious one of its kind since the dawn of the nuclear age, the future of U.S. nuclear weapons policy remains uncertain. The general approach advanced today in U.S. policy circles largely hews, after all, to the logic of the past 65 years: arms control and nonproliferation now, disarmament at an undetermined time in the future. Moreover, several conceptual and strategic barriers continue to block serious progress toward U.S. disarmament. By situating the current pro-disarmament rhetoric in this larger historical and strategic context, this monograph argues that there is reason to doubt whether the current push for disarmament will produce meaningful and lasting results.

Author : Avner Cohen,Steven Lee,Steven P. Lee
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 514 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 1986
Category : History
ISBN : 0847672581

Get Book

Nuclear Weapons and the Future of Humanity by Avner Cohen,Steven Lee,Steven P. Lee Pdf

The excellent quality and depth of the various essays make [the book] an invaluable resource....It is likely to become essential reading in its field.--CHOICE

Author : David A. Valone
Publisher : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Page : 140 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2010-02-19
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781443820349

Get Book

Nuclear Proliferation and the Dilemma of Peace in the Twenty-First Century by David A. Valone Pdf

On September 27, 2007, Quinnipiac University and the Albert Schweitzer Institute hosted former US President Jimmy Carter and several internationally-known experts at a forum to discuss nuclear disarmament. This book includes papers and transcripts of talks delivered at that conference. It contains the transcript of President Carter’s keynote address, in which he discusses his experiences in the White House when he and Soviet premier Leonid Brezhnev tangled over the size of their respective nuclear arsenals. Carter relates, “I knew the entire time I was president, that 26 minutes after we detected the launching of an intercontinental ballistic missile, that that missile would strike Washington DC or New York or any other target that the Soviets had chosen.” This imminent nuclear threat, Carter notes, strengthened his commitment to peace after he left the White House; the very first conference he scheduled at the Carter Center in Atlanta was on nuclear disarmament. Other papers include talks by Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, who discusses the collective denial that the world seems to have toward nuclear weapons; Ira Helfand, who describes the physical, medical and biological impacts of a massive nuclear explosion should such a disaster occur in or near an urban center; Hirotami Yamada offers a heart-wrenching account of how, as a boy, he survived the atomic bomb blast in his hometown of Nagasaki in August 1945 while the rest of his family perished; Dr. Neil Araya, of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, discusses the connection between public health and nuclear weapons. Other papers consider historical, philosophical, linguistic and educational issues related to nuclear weapons and the ongoing struggle for peace.

Author : John Simpson
Publisher : Springer
Page : 355 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 1983-11-24
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781349172580

Get Book

The Independent Nuclear State by John Simpson Pdf

The Independent Nuclear State: The United States, Britain and the Military Atom is a chronological account and overview of the 40-year history of British military research, development and production work in atomic energy. The United Kingdom's efforts in this field have always had close links with equivalent activities in the United States, and have often been conducted on a mutually co-operative basis. Through its description of these secret Anglo-American interactions, this study serves to highlight the degree to which the public debate in Britain over nuclear weapons has been conducted in a vacuum, as has American public policy-making over its nuclear links with the United Kingdom. This book contains descriptions of the technical evolution of British nuclear weapon designs and production models, estimates of annual output figures for fissile material and weapon types, and indications of the nature of the weapon-testing programme. Decision points are charted, such as the H-bomb development, and the factors that led to existing plans being changed are identified. The demonstrative nature of the programme until the late 1950s is illustrated, together with the rapidity with which the stockpile targets were met at the turn of that decade. The impact of the agreements with the United States, both upon weapon development and production programmes and upon stockpiling is analysed, as well as their effects upon the nuclear submarine programme. The consequences of the mid-1960s termination of weapon development are discussed, as it the later decision to restart it for the Chevaline programme. The impact of these events upon Anglo-American relations is identified, together with the recent British attempts to move to a closer political association with Europe. The study concludes by evaluating the essential nature of four decades of United Kingdom military nuclear development, and identifying the practical limits imposed by past policies upon any attempt by a British government to implement a policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament.

Author : United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 80 pages
File Size : 44,6 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Political Science
ISBN : STANFORD:36105063207059

Get Book

Impacts of Nuclear Disarmament on the Department of Energy by United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Governmental Affairs Pdf

Author : Gro Nystuen,Stuart Casey-Maslen,Annie Golden Bersagel
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 804 pages
File Size : 46,6 Mb
Release : 2014-08-28
Category : Law
ISBN : 9781139992749

Get Book

Nuclear Weapons under International Law by Gro Nystuen,Stuart Casey-Maslen,Annie Golden Bersagel Pdf

Nuclear Weapons under International Law is a comprehensive treatment of nuclear weapons under key international law regimes. It critically reviews international law governing nuclear weapons with regard to the inter-state use of force, international humanitarian law, human rights law, disarmament law, and environmental law, and discusses where relevant the International Court of Justice's 1996 Advisory Opinion. Unique in its approach, it draws upon contributions from expert legal scholars and international law practitioners who have worked with conventional and non-conventional arms control and disarmament issues. As a result, this book embraces academic consideration of legal questions within the context of broader political debates about the status of nuclear weapons under international law.

Author : National Academy of Sciences,Committee on International Security and Arms Control
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 118 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1997-06-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780309174640

Get Book

The Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy by National Academy of Sciences,Committee on International Security and Arms Control Pdf

The debate about appropriate purposes and policies for U.S. nuclear weapons has been under way since the beginning of the nuclear age. With the end of the Cold War, the debate has entered a new phase, propelled by the post-Cold War transformations of the international political landscape. This volumeâ€"based on an exhaustive reexamination of issues addressed in The Future of the U.S.-Soviet Nuclear Relationship (NRC, 1991)â€"describes the state to which U.S. and Russian nuclear forces and policies have evolved since the Cold War ended. The book evaluates a regime of progressive constraints for future U.S. nuclear weapons policy that includes further reductions in nuclear forces, changes in nuclear operations to preserve deterrence but enhance operational safety, and measures to help prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons. In addition, it examines the conditions and means by which comprehensive nuclear disarmament could become feasible and desirable.

Author : Michael E. O'Hanlon
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 191 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2010-09-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780815705086

Get Book

A Skeptic's Case for Nuclear Disarmament by Michael E. O'Hanlon Pdf

In 2007 two former U.S. secretaries of state, a defense secretary, and a former senator wrote persuasively in the Wall Street Journal that the time had come to move seriously toward a nuclear-free world. Almost two years later, the Global Zero movement was born with its chief aim to rid the world of such weapons once and for all by 2030. But is it realistic or even wise to envision a world without nuclear weapons? More and more people seem to think so. Barack Obama has declared "America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." But that is easier said than done. Michael O'Hanlon places his own indelible stamp on this critical issue, putting forth a "friendly skeptic's case for nuclear disarmament." Calls to "ban the bomb" are as old as the bomb itself, but the pace and organization of nonproliferation campaigns have picked up greatly recently. The growing Global Zero movement, for example, wants treaty negotiations to begin in 2019. Would this be prudent or even feasible in a world that remains dangerous, divided, and unpredictable? After all, America's nuclear arsenal has been its military trump card for much of the period since World War II. Pursuing a nuclear weapons ban prematurely or carelessly could alarm allies, leading them to consider building their own weapons—the opposite of the intended effect. O'Hanlon clearly presents the dangers of nuclear weapons and the advantages of disarmament as a goal. But even once an accord is in place, he notes, temporary suspension of restrictions may be necessary in response to urgent threats such as nuclear "cheating" or discovery of an advanced biological weapons program. To take all nuclear options off the table forever strengthens the hand of those that either do not make that pledge or do not honor it. For the near term, traditional approaches to arms control, including dismantling existing bomb inventories, can pave the way to make a true nonprol

Author : National Foreign Assessment Center (U.S.)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 1979
Category : Government publications
ISBN : UCR:31210024909945

Get Book

International Political Effects of the Spread of Nuclear Weapons by National Foreign Assessment Center (U.S.) Pdf

Author : Devin T. Hagerty
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 1998
Category : History
ISBN : 0262581612

Get Book

The Consequences of Nuclear Proliferation by Devin T. Hagerty Pdf

Hagerty analyzes how India and Pakistan interacted in diplomatic and military crises before their 1998 nuclear tests. He presents detailed studies of the January 1987 Indo-Pakistani crisis, precipitated by India's Brasstacks military exercises, and the 1990 confrontation over Kashmir. Hagerty concludes that relations between India and Pakistan in recent years support the argument that nuclear proliferation does not necessarily destabilize international relations and may even reduce the risk of war.

Author : Zachary S. Davis,Benjamin Frankel
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2020-12-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9781000199703

Get Book

The Proliferation Puzzle by Zachary S. Davis,Benjamin Frankel Pdf

Originally published in 1993, this volume was unique in its scope and approach: Unlike most literature on nuclear weapons proliferation at the time, the essays in this volume offer theoretical discussions and suggest testable hypotheses about the causes and effects of nuclear weapons proliferation. The proliferation of nuclear weapons is an ideal subject for social science scholarship, and such scholarship is especially timely now. Among the topics discussed in The Proliferation Puzzle are: The building of nuclear weapons is a complex task touching upon many of the subjects of study at the core of social science and international relations. Nuclear weapons may be acquired as a hedge against external threat, for reasons of national prestige, or as a result of pressures by domestic coalitions among scientists, bureaucrats, and the military. They may be sought for defensive purposes or to support hegemonic aspirations. Nuclear weapons also raise questions about civilian command and control, especially in crisis situations. During the last two decades the acquisition of nuclear weapons has been proscribed by the non-proliferation regime. The decisions countries made about acquiring these weapons and the manner they chose to build them serve as a test of the efficacy of this particular regime, and of international regimes more generally. Nuclear weapons were introduced at the time bipolarity became the international order. As the world moves away from bipolarity, there is a need to answer questions such as: What would be the effect of nuclear weapons in a multipolar order? How will the spread of nuclear weapons affect the distribution of capabilities among states? If nuclear weapons spread to additional countries, will they enhance stability or exacerbate instability? Can the spread of these weapons be managed or controlled? This book brings together scholars from different schools within international relations and the social sciences to address the question of why nuclear weapons spread. A disciplined, rigorous examination of proliferation is important not only for scholarship but also for informed policymaking. The purpose of social science is to formulate hypotheses and devise theories that advance our understanding of society and aid in the fashioning of enlightened policy. The essays in this volume show how explicit hypotheses about the causes and consequences of nuclear weapons proliferation provide a deeper understanding of the problem and suggest specific, theory-informed policy recommendations.

Author : George H. Quester
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 172 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : History
ISBN : 9780801882845

Get Book

Nuclear First Strike by George H. Quester Pdf

This provocative and timely work examines various scenarios in which the deployment of nuclear weapons could occur, the probable consequences of such an escalation, the likely world reactions, and the plausible policy ramifications. Rather than projecting the physical damage that would result from nuclear attacks, George H. Quester offers an exploration of the political, psychological, and social aftermath of nuclear conflict. The prospect of nuclear attack -- sixty years after atomic bombs destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- is difficult to confront on many levels. We may avoid the discussion for emotional reasons, for fear of generating a self-confirming hypothesis, or simply because of the general "nuclear taboo." But there are also self-denying propositions to be harnessed here: if the world gives some advance thought to how nuclear weapons might be used again, such attacks may be headed off. If the world avoids nuclear weapons use until the year 2045, it will be able to celebrate one hundred years of nuclear concord. Quester suggests that this may be achieved through the careful consideration of possible nuclear deployment scenarios and their consequences. In this insightful analysis, he provides a starting point for informed and focused reflection and preparation. -- Martha Smith-Norris