WDW101Y1 Lecture 11: Lecture 11
2 Feb 2018
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Nuclear deterrence: 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 prove suicidal because there are no defenses: this was called mutually assured destruction, or mad. In a hobbesian world rational actors protect themselves through a policy of deterrence. That is, in an anarchical international system, states must have enough military power to deter an adversary from attacking. They must be strong enough to withstand a first strike, and be able to retaliate against aggression. In 1972, the superpowers signed the anti-ballistic missile treaty (abm) outlawing nuclear defenses: vulnerability to a retaliatory strike was the key to maintaining peace. Security dilemma: the weapons i build to protect myself appear threatening to my enemy, so my enemy builds more weapons to protect herself.
