nuclear deterrence

war

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July 1, 2026

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Nuclear deterrence is a military strategy where the threat of retaliation prevents an adversary from attacking. This strategy is primarily applied by nuclear powers, who maintain a destructive capability that can inflict unacceptable damage on an aggressor, even after a surprise attack. The core idea is to create a credible threat of reprisal, making any potential attack too costly.12

The development of nuclear weapons during World War II and the subsequent Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union led to the creation of massive nuclear arsenals. While the end of the Cold War saw significant reductions in these stockpiles, the risk of nuclear war, accidental or intentional, remains a concern. The spread of nuclear weapons to more countries and the potential acquisition by non-state actors also present ongoing challenges to global security.34

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international relations
Between the two world wars
Bernard Brodie’s treatise on nuclear deterrence was highly influential, as was the work of Herman Kahn, Glenn Snyder, Thomas C. Schelling, Henry A. Kissinger, and Albert Wohlstetter. Other issues that were addressed in the vast literature of international relations include international, and especially European, integration; alliances and alignment, such…
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Bernard Brodie’s treatise on nuclear deterrence was highly influential, as was the work of Herman Kahn, Glenn Snyder, Thomas C. Schelling, Henry A. Kissinger, and Albert Wohlstetter. Other issues that were addressed in the vast literature of international relations include international, and especially European, integration; alliances and alignment, such…
Read More

nuclear strategy
Massive retaliation
Assigning a greater priority to nuclear weapons provided the opportunity to scale down expensive conventional forces. By that time the nuclear arsenal was becoming more plentiful and more powerful.
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Assigning a greater priority to nuclear weapons provided the opportunity to scale down expensive conventional forces. By that time the nuclear arsenal was becoming more plentiful and more powerful.
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Kenneth N. Waltz
He emphasized their deterrent effect, contending that countries that have nuclear weapons coexist peacefully because of the abiding prospect of retaliation. On this basis, Waltz held that nuclear proliferation does not threaten, but on the contrary, buttresses world peace, provided that nuclear stocks are controlled by competent governments.
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He emphasized their deterrent effect, contending that countries that have nuclear weapons coexist peacefully because of the abiding prospect of retaliation. On this basis, Waltz held that nuclear proliferation does not threaten, but on the contrary, buttresses world peace, provided that nuclear stocks are controlled by competent governments.
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defense economics
The economics of nuclear deterrence
Estimates of the threat of a Soviet invasion across the German border determined the nature of NATO’s response for more than 40 years. While NATO planners considered their own forces to be technologically superior to the Soviet forces, they were nevertheless mindful that…
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Estimates of the threat of a Soviet invasion across the German border determined the nature of NATO’s response for more than 40 years. While NATO planners considered their own forces to be technologically superior to the Soviet forces, they were nevertheless mindful that…
Read More