The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy: Why Strategic Superiority Matters (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780190849184)

For decades, the reigning scholarly wisdom about nuclear weapons policy has been that the United States only needs the ability to absorb an enemy nuclear attack and still be able to respond with a devastating counterattack. This argument is reasonable, but, empirically, we see that the US has always maintained a nuclear posture that is much more robust than a mere second-strike capability. In The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy, Matthew Kroenig challenges the conventional wisdom and explains why a robust nuclear posture, above and beyond a mere second-strike capability, contributes to a state's national security goals. In fact, when a state has a robust nuclear weapons force, such a capability reduces its expected costs in a war, provides it with bargaining leverage, and ultimately enhances nuclear deterrence. Buoyed by an innovative thesis and a vast array of historical and quantitative evidence, this book provides the first coherent theoretical explanation for why military nuclear advantages translate into geopolitical advantages. In so doing, it resolves one of the most-intractable puzzles in international security studies.

Author: Matthew Kroenig
ISBN-10: 0190849185
ISBN-13: 9780190849184
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
Published: 02/22/2018
Pages: 280
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 08/01/2018