WDW152H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Mutual Assured Destruction, Mikhail Gorbachev
12 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
A state will be deterred from launching a first strike against its enemy
because it does not want the enemy to retaliate with its nuclear
weapons
○
Initiating a nuclear war would provide suicidal because there are no
defenses
○
"Mutual Assured Destruction" / MAD
○
Rational actors protect themselves through a policy of deterrence
▪
In an anarchical international system, states must have enough
military power to deter an adversary from attacking
▪
Must be strong enough to withstand a first strike, and be able to
retaliate against the aggressor
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Hobbes
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Outlawed nuclear defenses
▪
Vulnerability to a retaliatory strike was the key to maintaining
'peace'
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1972, Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM)
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The weapons I build to protect myself appear threatening to my
enemy
▪
So, my enemy builds more weapons to protect themselves, which
appear threatening to me
▪
So, if I build more weapons to protect myself, which appears
threatening to my enemy, so they build more to protect…etc. etc.
▪
Security
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Nuclear deterrence
►
Hobbes : sovereign or government could solve the problems
associated with the state of nature
▪
Rise of states
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democracies are more peaceful than other forms of government
▪
Rise of democratic states
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More integration which enables communication and reduces
misperception
▪
Globalization / International Organization
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States have to become interdependent
▪
Cheaper to trade than to invade
▪
Global Trade
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Prospect of war was so horrible that the superpowers were
deterred (MAD) - Long Peace
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Nuclear weapons
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What inventions may have supplanted warfare?
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Peace was extremely precarious
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Nuclear warheads were on hair-trigger alert at all times
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Very little margin for error : there could not be accidents,
miscommunication, misperception, poor leadership, etc.
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Gorbachev and Reagan were both deeply worried about a nuclear
accident and therefore began the process of reducing nuclear stockpiles
with the goal of eliminating them
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Cold War
►
Lecture 2.4: Cooperation I: Nuclear Deterrence
February 1, 2017
10:00 AM
LECTURE Page 1
Document Summary
A state will be deterred from launching a first strike against its enemy because it does not want the enemy to retaliate with its nuclear weapons. Initiating a nuclear war would provide suicidal because there are no defenses. Rational actors protect themselves through a policy of deterrence. In an anarchical international system, states must have enough military power to deter an adversary from attacking. Must be strong enough to withstand a first strike, and be able to retaliate against the aggressor. Vulnerability to a retaliatory strike was the key to maintaining. The weapons i build to protect myself appear threatening to my enemy. So, my enemy builds more weapons to protect themselves, which appear threatening to me. So, if i build more weapons to protect myself, which appears threatening to my enemy, so they build more to protect etc. etc. Hobbes : sovereign or government could solve the problems associated with the state of nature.
