Dept Sem:Pol/Christian Right

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Nuclear weapons have occupied a central role in international politics ever since their introduction onto the world stage in 1945. The use of nuclear weapons by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki compelled Japanese surrender and brought World War II to a close. The vast nuclear arsenals of the United States and the Soviet Union were fundamental to the bi-polar, strategic relationship that structured international politics for over fifty years during the Cold War. And while many analysts hoped that the collapse of the Soviet Union would lead to a reduction in the influence of nuclear weapons on international relations, it was not to be so. The threat of nuclear proliferation resurfaced as India, Pakistan, and more recently, North Korea have conducted nuclear tests. Other regional powers, including Iran, Iraq, and Libya, have pursued, or are pursuing, nuclear capabilities. The terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001 demonstrated that if t! errorists, intent on carrying out mass-casualty attacks, acquired nuclear weapons, the results would likley be catastrophic. Indeed, in his 2007 annual report to Congress on the projected threats to the national security of the United States of America, Director of National Intelligence J. Michael McConnell assessed that nuclear proliferation poses one of the greatest threats to U.S. national security. This course analyzes the role of nuclear weapons in international relations. We will begin by learning the different paths by which countries acquire nuclear weapons. We will examine why nuclear weapons spread and the effect of nuclear proliferation on international politics. We will also consider policy options for preventing nuclear proliferation and managing its consequences. To accomplish this task, we will draw on major theoretical approaches, including proliferation optimism, proliferation pessimism, and nuclear deterrence theory. We will also analyze important cases of nuclear proliferation and instances of militarized disputes between nuclear-armed states.