Second-Strike Nuclear Forces and Neorealist Theory: Unit-Level Challenge or Balance-of-Power Politics as Usual?
Field | Value | Language |
dc.contributor.author | Lombard, Alex | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2007-12-19 | |
dc.date.available | 2007-12-19 | |
dc.date.issued | 2007-12-19 | |
dc.identifier.issn | N/A | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2158 | |
dc.description | Hons Thesis | en |
dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT: What are the implications of second-strike nuclear forces for neorealism? The end of the Cold War yielded a unipolar structure of international politics defined by the military, economic, and political preponderance of the United States. According to balance-of-power theory, which lies at the heart of neorealism, unipolarity has a short life span as secondary states waste little time in rectifying the global imbalance of power. Thus far, America remains unbalanced. Are we to take this as a refutation of balance-of-power theory? My thesis argues that second-strike arsenals render void the need to balance superior American military power. But because state survival is contingent not only upon military invulnerability (for which nuclear weapons are a sure guarantee), but also upon economic invulnerability (for which there is no absolute remedy), nuclear-weapon states are impelled to balance superior economic power for security reasons. By recasting balance-of-power theory in light of these assumptions, one can make sense of the great-power politics of the post-Cold War era. | en |
dc.description.sponsorship | N/A | en |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en |
dc.relation.ispartofseries | Govt Hons Thesis | en |
dc.rights | The author retains copyright of this thesis | |
dc.subject | Neorealism | en |
dc.subject | Balance-of-power theory | en |
dc.subject | Second-strike nuclear forces | en |
dc.subject | Minimum deterrence | en |
dc.subject | Economic power | en |
dc.title | Second-Strike Nuclear Forces and Neorealist Theory: Unit-Level Challenge or Balance-of-Power Politics as Usual? | en |
dc.type | Thesis, Honours | en |
dc.description.department | Department of Government and International Relations | en |
dc.contributor.department | Department of Government and International Relations | en |
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