POLSCI 1G06 Lecture 7: February 27, 2014 - To proliferate or not to proliferate - Lecture 7B .doc
31 Dec 2014
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Document Summary
The fact that the third world war did not happen is taken by some as sufficient proof that nuclear deterrence was effective. In many respects, this is a critical case for proponents of nuclear deterrence. This was a case where it was least likely for nuclear deterrence theory to hold: new nuclear powers, history of conflict, despite all these factors weighing against deterrence, and the fact that the conflict went. Less than mutually assured destruction right to the brink, in the end a full scale war was avoided. The possession of nuclear weapons means that the costs of aggression will always outweigh any benefits that aggression could bring. In general, then, if more states are armed with nuclear power, all states would have to be more cautious in their foreign policy. Even if we accept the logical persuasiveness of nuclear deterrence theory (and not everyone does), it does not necessarily follow that nuclear proliferation would result in increased security.
