Nuclear Weapons in the Information Age

by StephenJ.Cimbala (Author)

• New

  Hardcover
  2012

  $182.28

  A study of how the information age in modern warfare coexists with the persistent appeal of nuclear weapons and its impact on crisis management. It focuses on this unplanned coexistence of two distinct arts of war, including the possibility that states like the US may be held hostage to nuclear blackmail by outlier regimes or terrorists.

• New

  Paperback
  2012

  $36.92

  This is a study of how the information age in modern warfare coexists with the persistent appeal of nuclear weapons and its impact on crisis management. In today's information age, the coexistence of nuclear weapons with advanced conventional weapons and information-based concepts of warfare is a military contradiction. Nuclear deterrence was initially predicated on geopolitical, military, and technical assumptions. These were based on Cold War politics, rational deterrence theory, the concept of mutual vulnerability, and the fact that information and technology diffusion were limited. Today, however, far from being obsolete, nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have not only survived, but have become weapons for states that face security threats, including perceived threats of nuclear blackmail, or expectation of conflicts. This study focuses on this unplanned coexistence of two distinct arts of war, including the possibility that states like the U.S. may be held hostage to nuclear blackmail by outlier regimes or terrorists, such as North Korea. It shows that restricting nuclear proliferation should still be on the agenda of policymakers, and calls for a revitalized global non-proliferation regime. This unique survey by a leading expert will appeal to anyone interested in arms control, nuclear proliferation, and defense policy.