The logic of American nuclear strategy : why strategic superiority matters / Matthew Kroenig.

9780190870591 (ebook) :

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2018.

1 online resource : illustrations (black and white)

Access is available to the Yale community.

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What kind of nuclear strategy and posture does the US need to defend itself and its allies? According to conventional wisdom, the answer to this question is straightforward: the US needs the ability to absorb an enemy nuclear attack and respond with a devastating nuclear counterattack. These arguments are logical and persuasive, but, when compared to the empirical record, they raise an important puzzle. Empirically, we see that the US has consistently maintained a nuclear posture that is much more robust than a mere second-strike capability. How do we make sense of this contradiction? Scholarly deterrence theory argues that the explanation is simple - policymakers are wrong. This work takes a different approach. Rather than dismiss it as illogical, it explains the logic of American nuclear strategy.

Oxford scholarship online.

Print version :

Books / Online

English

March 12, 2018

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Specialized.