The nuclear taboo : the United States and the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945

The Resource The nuclear taboo : the United States and the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945
Label
The nuclear taboo : the United States and the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945
Title remainder
the United States and the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945
Statement of responsibility
Nina Tannenwald
Creator
Subject
Language
eng
Summary
Why have nuclear weapons not been used since Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945? Nina Tannenwald disputes the conventional answer of 'deterrence' in favour of what she calls a nuclear taboo - a widespread inhibition on using nuclear weapons - which has arisen in global politics. Drawing on newly released archival sources, Tannenwald traces the rise of the nuclear taboo, the forces that produced it, and its influence, particularly on US leaders. She analyzes four critical instances where US leaders considered using nuclear weapons (Japan 1945, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War 1991) and examines how the nuclear taboo has repeatedly dissuaded US and other world leaders from resorting to these 'ultimate weapons'. Through a systematic analysis, Tannenwald challenges conventional conceptions of deterrence and offers a compelling argument on the moral bases of nuclear restraint as well as an important insight into how nuclear war can be avoided in the future.--
Member of
Assigning source
Provided by publisher
Index
index present
Literary form
non fiction
Nature of contents
dictionaries
Series statement
  • Cambridge studies in international relations
  • Cambridge books online
Series volume
87
Structured data from the Bibframe namespace is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by European University Institute Library. Additional terms may apply to data associated with third party namespaces.