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The Dangers Of Nuclear Proliferation: Five Reasons More May Not Be Better, Matthew Macarthur

Dissertations and Theses

Though many international relations theorists have speculated that the spread of nuclear weapons may diminish the frequency -- if not the severity -- of military conflict among states, there are five reasons to expect that increased proliferation will increase the likelihood that nuclear weapons will be employed for coercive or destructive purposes. These dangers are independent of one another; that is, they are not interconnected as causes and effects. First, as nuclear weapons spread, the notion that these weapons are useful for purposes other than deterrence will spread concomitantly. Those who argue that the spread of nuclear weapons will diminish …