Overview

For decades, the reigning scholarly wisdom about nuclear weapons policy has been that the United States only needs the ability to absorb an enemy nuclear attack and still be able to respond with a devastating counterattack. This argument is reasonable, but, empirically, we see that the US has always maintained a nuclear posture that is much more robust than a mere second-strike capability. In The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy, Matthew Kroenig challenges the conventional wisdom and explains why a robust nuclear posture, above and beyond a mere second-strike capability, contributes to a state's national security goals. In fact, when a state has a robust nuclear weapons force, such a capability reduces its expected costs in a war, provides it with bargaining leverage, and ultimately enhances nuclear deterrence. Buoyed by an innovative thesis and a vast array of historical and quantitative evidence, this book provides the first coherent theoretical explanation for why military nuclear advantages translate into geopolitical advantages. In so doing, it resolves one of the most-intractable puzzles in international security studies.

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9780190849184

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Reviews

Contrary to much that has been written on the subject, in this provocative new study Matthew Kroenig argues that the United States can attain, and should seek, meaningful military superiority over other nuclear-armed states. This is an important statement of a controversial position that deserves to be read and debated by both policy makers and political scientists. * Aaron Friedberg, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University * Matthew Kroenig has provided an innovative and counter-intuitive study of why nuclear superiority might matter and why practitioners of both political parties have gravitated consistently towards it even as academic theorists have argued that it doesnt matter. This is an agenda setting book that will be debated by scholars and policy-makers for years to come. * Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and Hertog Practitioner-in-Residence at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies * Matthew Kroenig's comprehensive research, analysis, and conclusions provide a compilation of insights and information that policy makers and military leaders must understand. This book should be required reading for policy makers, strategists, and military leaders, as well as students of military strategy and international affairs. * Cecil Haney, former Commander US Strategic Command * A provocative contribution from a next-gen scholar to the revival of debate about nuclear strategy. * Graham Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School * The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy is a major contribution to the national debate about the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. national security policy. Matthew Kroenig provides penetrating insights into how nuclear posture affects a variety of national security interests and the book is a must read for anyone who wishes to understand this increasingly vital set of issues. * Stephen Hadley, former National Security Adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush *

Author Information

Matthew Kroenig is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the Deputy Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. He is the author or editor of seven books, including The Return of Great Power Rivalry: Democracy versus Autocracy from the Ancient World to the Present.

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