Overview

There was an expectation that the end of the Cold War would herald a new era of peace and stability in which the importance of nuclear weapons was marginalized. Instead, we have been left with a fractious, inter-dependent international community rife with ethnic and religious tension and unbound by super-power competition. The challenges of climate change, demographic shifts and resource competition have further altered the security environment. As if this were not enough, nuclear proliferation is once again at the top of the international agenda. In the last decade the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) has been challenged from within by Iraq, Iran and Libya while India's, Pakistan's and North Korea's nuclear weapon capabilities are threatening the non-proliferation norm from without. The new proliferators are predominantly, but not exclusively, aggressive, unstable and authoritarian regimes, considered by many in the international community to be outside the constraints of international normative behaviour. Some have even been labelled 'outlaw', or 'rogue' states. Although inter-continental nuclear war is not presently considered a danger, the increased number of nuclear weapons states combined with the nature of those states and the strategic environment in which they exist makes the possibility of a lesser nuclear exchange potentially much greater. In parallel, the 9/11 atrocities raised fears of the prospect of apocalyptic terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons. Indications that the NPT is failing to rise to the challenge have resulted in policy decisions that have arguably reversed both the disarmament and non-proliferation norms. This volume delves deep into the changing global nuclear landscape. The chapters document the increasing complexity of the global nuclear proliferation dynamic and the inability of the international community to come to terms with a rapidly changing strategic milieu. The future, in all likelihood, will be very different from the past, and the chapters in this volume develop a framework that may helps gain a better understanding of the forces that will shape the nuclear proliferation debate in the years to come. Part I examines the major thematic issues underlying the contemporary discourse on nuclear proliferation. Part II gives an overview of the evolving nuclear policies of the five established nuclear powers: the USA, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and the People's Republic of China. Part III looks at the three de facto nuclear states: India, Pakistan and Israel. Part IV examines two 'problem states' in the proliferation matrix today: Iran and North Korea. Part V sheds light on an important issue often ignored during discussions of nuclear proliferation -- cases where states have made a deliberate policy choice of either renouncing their nuclear weapons programme, or have decided to remain a threshold state. The cases of South Africa, Egypt and Japan will be the focus of this section. The final section, Part VI, will examine the present state of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, which most observers agree is currently facing a crisis of credibility. The three pillars of this regime -- the NPT, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty -- will be analyzed.

Full Product Details

Author:   Harsh V Pant
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Europa Publications Ltd
Dimensions:   Width: 17.40cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   0.929kg
ISBN:  

9781857436044

ISBN 10:   1857436040
Pages:   376
Publication Date:   02 December 2011
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Proposed Contents 1 Introduction: Harsh V. Pant Thematic Issues 2 Nuclear Deterrence: Chris Hobbs and Matthew Harries 3 Nuclear Energy and Proliferation: Henry Sokolski 4 Non-Proliferation and Counter Proliferation: Mark Fitzpatrick 5 Nuclear Weapons and Non-State Actors: Paul Wilkinson 6 The Nuclear Taboo: Nina Tannenwald The Five Nuclear Powers 7 The USA: James Wirtz 8 Russia: Stephen Blank 9 The UK: Paul Ingram and Michael Collins 10 France: Corentin Brustlein 11 China: Jonathan Holslag De-Factor Nuclear States 12 India: Chris Ogden 13 Pakistan: Bhumitra Chakma 14 Israel: Arielle Kandel The ‘Problem’ States 15 Iran: Anoush Ehteshami 16 North Korea: Balbina Hwang The ‘Threshold’ States 17 South Africa: Stephen Burgess 18 Japan: Takenori Horimoto 19 Egypt: Maria Rost Rublee The Global Non-Proliferation Regime 20 The Non-Proliferation Treaty: Mark Hilborne 21 The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: Foundations, Context, and Outlook: Dean Knox 22 A Cut-Off of Production of Weapon-Usable Fissionable Material: Considerations, Requirements and IAEA Capabilities: Tariq Rauf 23 Trends in Missile Defense and Space Security: Challenging Non-Proliferation Priorities: Bharath Gopalaswami 24 The US-India Nuclear Deal: Great Power Politics versus Non-Proliferation: Harsh V. Pant 25 Nuclear Disarmament and Nuclear Proliferation: A Complicated Relationship: Tom Sauer 26 The Future: A Cautious Prognosis: Malcolm Davis

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Author Information

Harsh V. Pant is a Reader in International Relations at King’s College London in the Department of Defence Studies. He is also an Associate with the King’s Centre for Science and Security Studies and an Affiliate with the King’s India Institute. His current research is focused on Asian security issues. His most recent books include Contemporary Debates in Indian Foreign and Security Policy (Palgrave Macmillan), The China Syndrome (HarperCollins), and The US—India Nuclear Pact: Policy, Process, and Great Power Politics (Oxford University Press).

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