Mutually Assured Destruction in Cold War
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Report: the New Nuclear Arms Race
The New Nuclear Arms Race The Outlook for Avoiding Catastrophe August 2020 By Akshai Vikram Akshai Vikram is the Roger L. Hale Fellow at Ploughshares Fund, where he focuses on U.S. nuclear policy. A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Akshai previously worked as an opposition researcher for the Democratic National Committee and a campaign staffer for the Kentucky Democratic Party. He has written on U.S. nuclear policy and U.S.-Iran relations for outlets such as Inkstick Media, The National Interest, Defense One, and the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft. Akshai holds an M.A. in International Economics and American Foreign Policy from the Johns Hopkins University SAIS as well as a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science from Johns Hopkins Baltimore. On a good day, he speaks Spanish, French, and Persian proficiently. Acknowledgements This report was made possible by the strong support I received from the entire Ploughshares Fund network throughout my fellowship. Ploughshares Fund alumni Will Saetren, Geoff Wilson, and Catherine Killough were extremely kind in offering early advice on the report. From the Washington, D.C. office, Mary Kaszynski and Zack Brown offered many helpful edits and suggestions, while Joe Cirincione, Michelle Dover, and John Carl Baker provided much- needed encouragement and support throughout the process. From the San Francisco office, Will Lowry, Derek Zender, and Delfin Vigil were The New Nuclear Arms Race instrumental in finalizing this report. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their help. I would especially like to thank Tom Collina. Tom reviewed numerous drafts of this report, never The Outlook for Avoiding running out of patience or constructive advice. -
Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic Communications: How One Interagency Group Made a Major Difference by Fletcher Schoen and Christopher J
STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVES 11 Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic Communications: How One Interagency Group Made a Major Difference by Fletcher Schoen and Christopher J. Lamb Center for Strategic Research Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies National Defense University The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) is National Defense University’s (NDU’s) dedicated research arm. INSS includes the Center for Strategic Research, Center for Complex Operations, Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, Center for Technology and National Security Policy, Center for Transatlantic Security Studies, and Conflict Records Research Center. The military and civilian analysts and staff who comprise INSS and its subcomponents execute their mission by conducting research and analysis, publishing, and participating in conferences, policy support, and outreach. The mission of INSS is to conduct strategic studies for the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Unified Combatant Commands in support of the academic programs at NDU and to perform outreach to other U.S. Government agencies and the broader national security community. Cover: Kathleen Bailey presents evidence of forgeries to the press corps. Credit: The Washington Times Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic Communications: How One Interagency Group Made a Major Difference Deception, Disinformation, and Strategic Communications: How One Interagency Group Made a Major Difference By Fletcher Schoen and Christopher J. Lamb Institute for National Strategic Studies Strategic Perspectives, No. 11 Series Editor: Nicholas Rostow National Defense University Press Washington, D.C. June 2012 Opinions, conclusions, and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Defense Department or any other agency of the Federal Government. -
The Russian-A(Merican) Bomb: the Role of Espionage in the Soviet Atomic Bomb Project
J. Undergrad. Sci. 3: 103-108 (Summer 1996) History of Science The Russian-A(merican) Bomb: The Role of Espionage in the Soviet Atomic Bomb Project MICHAEL I. SCHWARTZ physicists and project coordinators ought to be analyzed so as to achieve an understanding of the project itself, and given the circumstances and problems of the project, just how Introduction successful those scientists could have been. Third and fi- nally, the role that espionage played will be analyzed, in- There was no “Russian” atomic bomb. There only vestigating the various pieces of information handed over was an American one, masterfully discovered by by Soviet spies and its overall usefulness and contribution Soviet spies.”1 to the bomb project. This claim echoes a new theme in Russia regarding Soviet Nuclear Physics—Pre-World War II the Soviet atomic bomb project that has arisen since the democratic revolution of the 1990s. The release of the KGB As aforementioned, Paul Josephson believes that by (Commissariat for State Security) documents regarding the the eve of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, Soviet sci- role that espionage played in the Soviet atomic bomb project entists had the technical capability to embark upon an atom- has raised new questions about one of the most remark- ics weapons program. He cites the significant contributions able and rapid scientific developments in history. Despite made by Soviet physicists to the growing international study both the advanced state of Soviet nuclear physics in the of the nucleus, including the 1932 splitting of the lithium atom years leading up to World War II and reported scientific by proton bombardment,7 Igor Kurchatov’s 1935 discovery achievements of the actual Soviet atomic bomb project, of the isomerism of artificially radioactive atoms, and the strong evidence will be provided that suggests that the So- fact that L. -
Space Race and Arms Race in the Western Media and the Czechoslovak Media
MASARYK UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature Space Race and Arms Race in the Western Media and the Czechoslovak Media Bachelor thesis Brno 2017 Thesis Supervisor: Author: Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. Věra Gábová Annotation The bachelor thesis deals with selected Second World War and Cold War events, which were embodied in arms race and space race. Among events discussed are for example the first use of ballistic missiles, development of atomic and hydrogen bombs, launching the first artificial satellites etc. The thesis focuses on presentation of such events in the Czechoslovak and the Western press, compares them and also provides some historical facts to emphasize subjectivity in the media. Its aim is not only to describe the period as it is generally known, but to contrast the sources of information which were available at those times and to point out the nuances in the media. It explains why there are such differences, how space race and arms race are related and why the progress in science and technology was so important for the media. Key words The Second World War, the Cold War, space race, arms race, press, objectivity, censorship, propaganda 2 Anotace Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá některými událostmi druhé světové a studené války, které byly součástí závodu ve zbrojení a závodu v dobývání vesmíru. Mezi probíranými událostmi je například první použití balistických raket, vývoj atomové a vodíkové bomby, vypuštění první umělé družice Země atd. Práce se zaměřuje na prezentaci těchto událostí v Československém a západním tisku, porovnává je a také uvádí některá historická fakta pro zdůraznění subjektivity v médiích. -
Cyber Conflicts As a New Global Threat
future internet Article Cyber Conflicts as a New Global Threat Alexander Kosenkov Information Society Research Center, Chernihiv 14000, Ukraine; [email protected]; Tel.: +380-930570382 Academic Editor: Jiankun Hu Received: 7 June 2016; Accepted: 5 September 2016; Published: 9 September 2016 Abstract: In this paper, an attempt is made to analyze the potential threats and consequences of cyber conflicts and, in particular, the risks of a global cyber conflict. The material is based on a comprehensive analysis of the nature of cyber conflict and its elements from both technical and societal points of view. The approach used in the paper considers the societal component as an essential part of cyber conflicts, allowing basics of cyber conflicts often disregarded by researchers and the public to be highlighted. Finally, the conclusion offers an opportunity to consider cyber conflict as the most advanced form of modern warfare, which imposes the most serious threat and whose effect could be comparable to weapons of mass destruction. Keywords: cyber conflict; information warfare; cyber warfare; information operations 1. Introduction During the last decade, global social and political landscapes were changed by the revolutionary development of information and communications technologies (ICT). New ICT has also significantly influenced warfare, among other ways through the emergence of network-centric warfare doctrine and unconventional, hybrid, information, and asymmetric warfare. The most significant transformation brought by the ICT was the emergence of a totally new form of conflict—cyber conflict (in this paper, cyber conflict is defined as conflict with the application of cyberspace capabilities in order to achieve objectives in or through cyberspace)—the rise of which we are witnessing worldwide today. -
NATO's Post-Cold War Relevance in Counter Terrorism
NATO’s post-Cold War Relevance in Counter Terrorism By Austin Maness Submitted to the graduate degree program in Global and International Studies and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr Nazli Avdan ________________________________ Dr Michael Wuthrich ________________________________ Dr Robert Baumann Date Defended: 12 May 2016 The Thesis Committee for Austin Maness certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: NATO’s post-Cold War Relevance in Counter Terrorism ________________________________ Chairperson Dr Nazli Avdan Date approved: 12 May 2016 ii Abstract From the end of the Cold War, through the process of globalization, national security has transitioned from an idea of purely state versus state interaction into a concept including both state and non-state actors. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), once the counter balance to the Soviet Union, has evolved into an alliance that has expanded its attention to include non-state actors, such as international terrorist organizations. Scholars have theorized on the lifespan of NATO post-Cold War, however the majority of these theories have focused on state versus state issues, a common paradigm of the 20th century, and not included state versus non-state issues, such as international terrorism. As NATO continues to be a post-Cold War, state alliance has it been able to transition to a relevant counter terrorism force and reduce the number of terrorist attacks within each member state, the alliance as a whole, and/or in the international community? With statistical data of terrorist attacks within NATO member states from the Global Terrorism Database this study focuses on each new member that joined during three influential time periods before and after the end of the Cold War in order to determine if becoming a member correlates to an increase or decrease in the number of terrorist attacks. -
Timeline of the Cold War
Timeline of the Cold War 1945 Defeat of Germany and Japan February 4-11: Yalta Conference meeting of FDR, Churchill, Stalin - the 'Big Three' Soviet Union has control of Eastern Europe. The Cold War Begins May 8: VE Day - Victory in Europe. Germany surrenders to the Red Army in Berlin July: Potsdam Conference - Germany was officially partitioned into four zones of occupation. August 6: The United States drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima (20 kiloton bomb 'Little Boy' kills 80,000) August 8: Russia declares war on Japan August 9: The United States drops atomic bomb on Nagasaki (22 kiloton 'Fat Man' kills 70,000) August 14 : Japanese surrender End of World War II August 15: Emperor surrender broadcast - VJ Day 1946 February 9: Stalin hostile speech - communism & capitalism were incompatible March 5 : "Sinews of Peace" Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill - "an "iron curtain" has descended on Europe" March 10: Truman demands Russia leave Iran July 1: Operation Crossroads with Test Able was the first public demonstration of America's atomic arsenal July 25: America's Test Baker - underwater explosion 1947 Containment March 12 : Truman Doctrine - Truman declares active role in Greek Civil War June : Marshall Plan is announced setting a precedent for helping countries combat poverty, disease and malnutrition September 2: Rio Pact - U.S. meet 19 Latin American countries and created a security zone around the hemisphere 1948 Containment February 25 : Communist takeover in Czechoslovakia March 2: Truman's Loyalty Program created to catch Cold War -
US Nuclear Weapons
U.S. NUCLEAR DETERRENCE POLICY Today's Strategic Environment: Increasingly Complex and Dangerous For decades, the United States led the world in efforts to reduce the role and number of nuclear weapons. Successive treaties enabled reductions in accountable strategic U.S. nuclear warheads, first to 6,000, and ultimately to 1,550. Thousands of shorter-range nuclear weapons not covered by any treaty were almost entirely eliminated from the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Overall, the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile has drawn down by more than 85 percent from its Cold War high. Many hoped conditions had been set for even deeper reductions in global nuclear arsenals. Unfortunately, the United States and our allies now face a security environment with increased complexity and worsening strategic threats. Today’s central challenge to our security is the reemergence of long-term strategic competition with Russia and China. While the United States has focused on maintaining its existing nuclear systems, Russia and China have increased the role of nuclear weapons in their strategies and have been actively increasing the size and sophistication of their nuclear forces. Further, North Korea’s nuclear capabilities threaten our allies and homeland and add to an already complex strategic picture. Russia has been developing, testing, and fielding new systems for its nuclear triad over the past decade. This includes new road-mobile and silo-based ICBMs, ballistic missile submarines and missiles, bomber aircraft, and cruise missiles. Russia is also actively testing never-before-seen nuclear weapon capabilities, such as hypersonic glide vehicles, nuclear-powered cruise missiles, and nuclear-powered unmanned underwater vehicles. -
The Other Battleground of the Cold War the UN and the Struggle Against International Terrorism in the 1970S
BThlumenaue Other Battleground of the Cold War The Other Battleground of the Cold War The UN and the Struggle against International Terrorism in the 1970s ✣ Bernhard Blumenau The life span of an epidemic such as international terrorism depends largely on the response of the international community. When terrorists come to realize that their actions harm only themselves and their cause, the epidemic will subside.1 William P. Rogers, U.S. Secretary of State, 1973 Introduction Discussions of the Cold War often focus on high-proªle developments like the Berlin crises, the Cuban missile crisis, the proxy wars in Africa and Asia, the emergence and breakdown of East-West détente, and the Strategic Defense Initiative of the 1980s. But the Cold War also witnessed an intense spate of international terrorism. Although the September 2001 terrorist at- tacks in the United States were unique in claiming nearly 3,000 lives, interna- tional terrorism during the Cold War also caused extensive bloodshed and stoked widespread fear. The live broadcast of the deadly terrorist attack against Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 highlighted the im- portance of the issue, as did the terrorist hijacking of a French passenger air- craft to Uganda’s Entebbe airport in 1976. Terrorism long predated the Cold War, but there was something special about it during the prolonged U.S.- Soviet standoff. With a largely bipolar division of the international system, most terrorists in one way or another accommodated themselves to the Cold War. The infamous terrorist groups in Italy, West Germany, and Japan all sug- 1. -
When Are Arms Races Dangerous? When Are Arms Races Charles L
When Are Arms Races Dangerous? When Are Arms Races Charles L. Glaser Dangerous? Rational versus Suboptimal Arming Are arms races dan- gerous? This basic international relations question has received extensive at- tention.1 A large quantitative empirical literature addresses the consequences of arms races by focusing on whether they correlate with war, but remains divided on the answer.2 The theoretical literature falls into opposing camps: (1) arms races are driven by the security dilemma, are explained by the rational spiral model, and decrease security, or (2) arms races are driven by revisionist adversaries, explained by the deterrence model, and increase security.3 These Charles L. Glaser is a Professor in the Irving B. Harris Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at the Uni- versity of Chicago. For their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article, the author would like to thank James Fearon, Michael Freeman, Lloyd Gruber, Chaim Kaufmann, John Schuessler, Stephen Walt, the anonymous reviewers for International Security, and participants in seminars at the Program on In- ternational Security Policy at the University of Chicago, the Program on International Political Economy and Security at the University of Chicago, the John M. Olin Institute at Harvard Univer- sity, and the Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia. He also thanks John Schuessler for valuable research assistance. 1. The pioneering study is Samuel P. Huntington, “Arms Races: Prerequisites and Results,” Public Policy, Vol. 8 (1958), pp. 41–86. Historical treatments include Paul Kennedy, “Arms-Races and the Causes of War, 1850–1945,” in Kennedy, Strategy and Diplomacy, 1870–1945 (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1983); and Grant T. -
Motivations Behind the Suez Crisis
W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1993 Motivations Behind the Suez Crisis Benjamin Joel Goldberg College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the International Relations Commons, and the Islamic World and Near East History Commons Recommended Citation Goldberg, Benjamin Joel, "Motivations Behind the Suez Crisis" (1993). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539625839. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-jyqz-0q85 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MOTIVATIONS BEHIND THE SUEZ CRISIS A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History The College of William and Mary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Benjamin J. Goldberg 1993 APPROVAL SHEET This Thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degre of Masters of Arts ^ Benjamiff J. Goldberg Approved, May 1993 Edward P j] Crapol Richard B. Sherman Philip J. Funlgiello 11 DEDICATION This work is for my Grandfather, Julian Schultz. He always insisted that his grandchildren obtain as much education as they could. Here I am. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.............. v Abstract................................................... vi Chapter One: Introduction to a Crisis......................1 Chapter Two: Leading up to the Crisis.....................11 Chapter Three: The Crisis and Its Players................ -
Glenn Snyder's Deterrence Theory and NATO's Deterrence Strategy
Glenn Snyder’s Deterrence Theory and NATO’s Deterrence Strategy during the Cold War (YAMASHITA Aihito) Glenn Snyder’s Deterrence Theory and NATO’s Deterrence Strategy during the Cold War Col. YAMASHITA Aihito Director, Center for Air and Space Power Strategic Studies Introduction The main strategic issues on NATO that the U.S. and Europe faced during the Cold War, when they are marshaled from the perspective of deterrence particularly for Europe, should be summarized as the questions of how to deter invasion by the Soviet Union, how to secure extended deterrence by the U.S., and in particular, how to enhance the credibility of the U.S. deterrence by punishment.1 NATO’s conventional military forces dominated by NATO’s ground troops were extremely vulnerable to those of the Soviet Union, which meant a significant disparity.2 Therefore, extended deterrence by the U.S. was thought to be essential for NATO in order to produce deterrent effect on the Soviet Union in the circumstances of the significant disparity in the conventional military forces dominated by ground troops. However, after the Soviet Union acquired the ability to attack the U.S. mainland with its nuclear weapons (typically represented by the situation of mutual assured destruction), Europe began to doubt the effectiveness of extended deterrence by the U.S. In this context, various theories including “stability-instability paradox” and “entrapment-abandonment” were discussed. 69 Air Power Studies (vol. 6) The concern Europe felt was connected with the controversy over the positioning theory of nuclear weapons in the U.S., that is, how the nature of nuclear weapons should be defined.