Nuclear strategy in the modern era : regional powers and international conflict / Vipin Narang.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Narang, Vipin, author.

Series:

Princeton studies in international history and politics.

Princeton Studies in International History and Politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nuclear weapons--Government policy--Case studies.

Nuclear weapons.

Nuclear warfare--Government policy--Case studies.

Nuclear warfare.

Deterrence (Strategy)--Case studies.

Deterrence (Strategy).

Security, International--Case studies.

Security, International.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (357 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The world is in a second nuclear age in which regional powers play an increasingly prominent role. These states have small nuclear arsenals, often face multiple active conflicts, and sometimes have weak institutions. How do these nuclear states-and potential future ones-manage their nuclear forces and influence international conflict? Examining the reasoning and deterrence consequences of regional power nuclear strategies, this book demonstrates that these strategies matter greatly to international stability and it provides new insights into conflict dynamics across important areas of the world such as the Middle East, East Asia, and South Asia. Vipin Narang identifies the diversity of regional power nuclear strategies and describes in detail the posture each regional power has adopted over time. Developing a theory for the sources of regional power nuclear strategies, he offers the first systematic explanation of why states choose the postures they do and under what conditions they might shift strategies. Narang then analyzes the effects of these choices on a state's ability to deter conflict. Using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, he shows that, contrary to a bedrock article of faith in the canon of nuclear deterrence, the acquisition of nuclear weapons does not produce a uniform deterrent effect against opponents. Rather, some postures deter conflict more successfully than others. Nuclear Strategy in the Modern Era considers the range of nuclear choices made by regional powers and the critical challenges they pose to modern international security.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

List of Figures and Tables

Acknowledgments

Chapter One. Introduction

Chapter Two. The Sources of Regional Power Nuclear Postures: Posture Optimization Theory

Chapter Three. Pakistan

Chapter Four. India

Chapter Five. China

Chapter Six. France

Chapter Seven. Israel

Chapter Eight. South Africa

Chapter Nine. Deterring Unequally I: A Large-n Analysis

Chapter Ten. Deterring Unequally II: Regional Power Nuclear Postures and Crisis Behavior

Chapter Eleven: Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781400850402

1400850401

OCLC:

877983249