This comprehensively updated second edition provides an introduction to the political, normative, technological and strategic aspects of nuclear weaponry. It offers an accessible overview of the concept of nuclear weapons, outlines how thinking about these weapons has developed and considers how nuclear threats can continue to be managed in the future. This book will help you to understand what nuclear weapons are, the science behind their creation and operation, why states build them in the first place, and whether it will be possible for the world to banish these weapons entirely. Essential reading for all students of International Relations, Security Studies and Military History.
1. Introduction: The Politics of Nuclear Weapons.- 2. What are Nuclear Weapons and Why Are They So Powerful?.- 3. Testing, Authorising and Delivering Nuclear Weapons.- 4. Nuclear Proliferation and Nuclear Ages.- 5. The Nuclear Revolution, Nuclear Strategy and Nuclear War.- 6. Vertical proliferation challenges.- 7. Horizontal Proliferation Challenges: The Nuclear Outliers.- 8. Managing Nuclear Threats: Structures of Global Nuclear Governance.- 9. Nuclear Weapons and Non-State Actors.- 10. Nuclear Disarmament.- 11. Future Nuclear Challenges.- 12. Conclusion: Surviving our Nuclear Future.
Andrew Futter is Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, UK.
