Introduction : How Do New Nuclear States Behave? -- Nuclear Opportunism : How States Use Nuclear Weapons in International Politics -- Independence and Status : The British Nuclear Experience -- Apartheid and Aggression : South Africa, Angola, and the Bomb -- The Foundations of a New World Order : The United States and the Start of the Nuclear Era -- Past and Future Proliferators -- Conclusion : Nuclear Revolution or Nuclear Revolutions?
Summary:
Nuclear Reactions analyzes how nuclear weapons change the calculations states make in their foreign policies, why they do so, and why nuclear weapons have such different effects on the foreign policies of different countries. Mark S. Bell argues that nuclear weapons are useful for more than deterrence. They are leveraged to pursue a wide range of goals in international politics, and the nations that acquire them significantly change their foreign policies as a result. Closely examining how these effects vary and what those variations have meant in the United States, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, Bell shows that countries are not generically "emboldened"--they change their foreign policies in different ways based on their priorities. This has huge policy implications: What would Iran do if it were to acquire nuclear weapons? Would Japanese policy toward the United States change if Japan were to obtain nuclear weapons? And what does the looming threat of nuclear weapons mean for the future of foreign policy? Far from being a relic of the Cold War, Bell argues, nuclear weapons are as important in international politics today as they ever were. -- Provided by publisher. "This book examines the ways in which states change their foreign policies when they acquire nuclear weapons, using case studies of the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the United States"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.