Ebook: Nuclear Weapons in the Changing World: Perspectives from Europe, Asia, and North America

Lawrence Freedman One of the major bonuses of the collapse of communism in Europe is that it may never again be necessary to enter into a sterile debate about whether it is better to be "red" or "dead." This appeared as the ultimate question in the great nuclear debate of the early 1980s. When put so starkly the answer appeared obvious­ better to live and struggle in a totalitarian system than to destroy totalitarian and democratic systems alike. There were a number of points to be made against this. Communist regimes had demonstrated the possibility of being both red and dead while the West had managed successfully to avoid the choice. If we allowed nuclear disarmament to become an overriding priority, this might encourage excessive respect for Soviet interests and a desire to avoid any sort of provocation to Moscow, a point not lost on those in Eastern Europe who were then struggling against repression and could not see why disarmament should be given a higher priority than freedom. Now that the old communist states have liberated themselves and the West no longer risks conspiring in their enslavement, there is a correspondingly re­ duced danger of mass death. As a result, and with so much else of immediate Lawrence Freedman • Department of War Studies, King's College, University of London, London WC2R 2LS, England. Nuclear Weapons in the Changing World: Perspectives from Europe, Asia, and North America.

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxiv
Introduction....Pages 1-14
Nuclear Weapons, the End of the Cold War, and the Future of the International System....Pages 15-31
Nuclear Weapons in the 1990s and Beyond....Pages 33-52
The Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in a Restructured World....Pages 53-64
The Deterrent Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States....Pages 65-76
A Russian Perspective on the Future of Nuclear Weapons....Pages 77-90
Nuclear Weapons, European Security, and Regional Deterrence....Pages 91-110
French and British Nuclear Forces in an Era of Uncertainty....Pages 111-126
The New Germany and Nuclear Weapons....Pages 127-143
U.S. Nuclear Forces and Japanese/Western Pacific Security....Pages 145-164
The Future of Nuclear Weapons: A Chinese Perspective....Pages 165-180
The Future of Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation in South Asia....Pages 181-198
Security after the Revolutions of 1989 and 1991: The Future with Nuclear Weapons....Pages 199-221
Building Peace under the Nuclear Sword of Damocles....Pages 223-239
The Nuclear Future....Pages 241-261
Back Matter....Pages 263-278

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxiv
Introduction....Pages 1-14
Nuclear Weapons, the End of the Cold War, and the Future of the International System....Pages 15-31
Nuclear Weapons in the 1990s and Beyond....Pages 33-52
The Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons in a Restructured World....Pages 53-64
The Deterrent Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States....Pages 65-76
A Russian Perspective on the Future of Nuclear Weapons....Pages 77-90
Nuclear Weapons, European Security, and Regional Deterrence....Pages 91-110
French and British Nuclear Forces in an Era of Uncertainty....Pages 111-126
The New Germany and Nuclear Weapons....Pages 127-143
U.S. Nuclear Forces and Japanese/Western Pacific Security....Pages 145-164
The Future of Nuclear Weapons: A Chinese Perspective....Pages 165-180
The Future of Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation in South Asia....Pages 181-198
Security after the Revolutions of 1989 and 1991: The Future with Nuclear Weapons....Pages 199-221
Building Peace under the Nuclear Sword of Damocles....Pages 223-239
The Nuclear Future....Pages 241-261
Back Matter....Pages 263-278
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