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Nuclear Weapons in International Relations

Module description

This module examines the international political significance and the ultimate destructive technology of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons are unique not only because of their lethality, but also due to their capacity to inflict genocide instantly. Military force is supposed to be an instrument of policy, linking means to ends. However, it is hard to conceive of a proportional use of ‘nukes’ short of a scenario of existential war. And ever since the Soviet Union conducted its first successful test, the prospect of a nuclear 'exchange' has haunted humanity, making a rational use of nukes even harder to imagine. Thus, nukes pose a radical and unprecedented challenge to the logic of strategy, traditionally conceived. States have predominantly treated nukes as assets that are used without being detonated, for deterrence, for example, or prestige purposes. 'Threatening genocide to prevent genocide' is hardly a satisfying status quo in international affairs, but every approach confronts complex dilemmas.

This module examines the evolution of ideas, doctrines and strategies that humanity has devised to cope with the nuclear revolution. Why do states pursue or resist nuclearization?  Why do they disarm or enter arms races, and is eventual 'usage' just a matter of time? This module surveys three phases of nuclear history: the era of U.S. monopoly; the 'Second Age' dominated by the bipolar competition of the Cold War and gradual proliferation; and the 'Third Age' and its nightmares of nuclear terrorism and proliferation to non-state actors, nuclear accidents, and competition between nuclear powers that lack stable 'deterrence' and 'crisis management' relationships. It critically compares different ways of handling the nuclear problem: arms control, the movement for disarmament towards a 'zero' nuclear world, to controlled proliferation, and to the creation of a 'taboo.'

No pre-requisite or co-requisite modules are required in order to register for this module. It will provide you with a basic introduction to the problem of the nuclear revolution and what it means for international relations. It will also consider the implications of nuclear weapons for international relations theory. As such, this module is suitable for both specialist and non-specialist students who are interested in studying international security from multiple perspectives, thus, rendering it suitable for interdisciplinary pathways.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will provide you with:

• A grasp of the history of nuclear weapons over three ‘Ages’ from monopoly to Cold War to the 21^st Century;
• The opportunity to evaluate competing visions of how nuclear weapons should be understood;
• A critical understanding of debates around what drives proliferation and disarmament;
• A vital context for judging the validity of competing theoretical approaches to International Relations

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key issues revolving around nuclear weapons and international security;
• 2. apply this awareness to contemporary problems of proliferation and counter-proliferation;

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. display an understanding of the evolution of strategic theory and international relations theory, and their utility for contemporary decision-making;
• 4. exercise informed judgement about change and continuity in international relations;

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. conduct independent research, exercise critical judgement and write clearly and persuasively;
• 6. demonstrate the ability to analyse complex and fast-changing problems and to have the confidence – individually and as part of a group – to design and advocate workable strategic solutions; and
• 7. demonstrate the ability to work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task.

Syllabus plan

The module is structured in three parts. 1) Following an introductory seminar, the module tracks the history of nuclear weapons since World War Two; 2) it examines a range of highly contested analytical and normative problems created in the nuclearized era; and 3) finally, it examines competing arguments for how states should approach and manage nuclear weapons in our time.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Basic reading: 

• Lawrence Freedman, The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy (London: Macmillan, 1982).
• Lawrence Freedman, “The First Two Generations of Nuclear Strategists,” in Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age, Peter Paret, ed. (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1986), 735-778.
• Richard Smoke, National Security and the Nuclear Dilemma, 3rd ed. (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1993), Chapter 13 (pp. 236-263).
• Albert Wohlstetter, “The Delicate Balance of Terror,” Foreign Affairs 37, no. 2 (January, 1959): 211-234.
• Paul H. Nitze, “Deterring Our Deterrent,” Foreign Policy 25 (Winter, 1976/1977): 195-210.
• Robert Jervis, “Why Nuclear Superiority Doesn’t Matter,” Political Science Quarterly 94, no. 4 (Winter, 1979/1980): 617-633.
• Marc Trachtenberg, “The Influence of Nuclear Weapons in the Cuban Missile Crisis,” International Security 10, no. 1 (Summer, 1985), 136-163.
• Avery Goldstein, Deterrence and Security in the 21st Century (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2002).
• Scott Sagan and Kenneth Waltz, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed 3rd ed. (New York: Norton, 2013).
• Scott Sagan, “Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Three Models in Search of a Bomb,” International Security 21, no. 3 (Winter, 1996-1997): 54-86.
• Jacques E.C. Hymans, The Psychology of Nuclear Proliferation: Identity, Emotions, and Foreign Policy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), Chapters 1, 2 (pp. 1-46).
• Mueller, John. “The Essential Irrelevance of Nuclear Weapons: Stability in the Postwar World,” International Security Vol. 13, No. 2 (Fall 1988), pp. 55-79.

Key words search

Strategic Studies, International Security, Diplomacy, Nuclear weapons, Deterrence, Proliferation, Counter-Proliferation.