Nuclear Deterrence Melts Down: Limits of Deterrence and Alternative Paths to Peace
Nuclear Deterrence Melts Down: Limits of Deterrence and Alternative Paths to Peace

Author(s): Christopher J. Coyne, Abigail R. Hall
Subject(s): Politics, Political Theory, Security and defense, Military policy
Published by: Addleton Academic Publishers
Keywords: Nuclear weapons; deterrence; global security; political risk;
Summary/Abstract: “UN chief warns world is one step from ‘nuclear annihilation’.” So read a recent news headline reporting on statements by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres regarding rising global nuclear tensions. Among other things, Guterres noted that “humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation” (quoted in Lederer 2022). A recent report by The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), found that “Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12 512 warheads in January 2023, about 9576 were in military stockpiles for potential use—86 more than in January 2022” (SIPRI 2023a, n.p.). Nine countries (China, France, India, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) possess nuclear arsenals and another five (Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye) host U.S. nuclear weapons. Dan Smith, the Director of SIPRI noted that, “In this period of high geopolitical tension and mistrust, with communication channels between nuclear-armed rivals closed or barely functioning, the risks of miscalculation, misunderstanding or accident are unacceptably high” (quoted in SIPRI 2023a, n.p.).

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