POL4891: The Politics of Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons have been a feature of international politics since the development of nuclear weapons by the United States during World War II. But how exactly do nuclear weapons affect international politics? This course tackles this question. In doing so, we examine the history of the nuclear era, the theories we can use to try to understand the ways in which nuclear weapons affect international politics, and key current policy challenges associated with nuclear weapons. For example, we'll ask: how do nuclear weapons work and how are nuclear materials created? Are nuclear weapons a force for peace or for instability and war? How likely is a nuclear war and how close did we come to nuclear war in the Cuban Missile Crisis or other crises? How dangerous is nuclear proliferation and why does the United States go to such lengths to stop other countries acquiring nuclear weapons? Why does the United States have so many nuclear weapons and what drove the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union? Why have indigenous populations often borne the brunt of nuclear testing and how have issues of race and gender played into the history of nuclear weapons? What role do nuclear weapons play in India-Pakistan relations and what role will they play in future U.S.-China relations? How likely is nuclear terrorism? Is nuclear disarmament possible? Is it desirable?

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