IR 6667 - Nuclear Strategy

3 Semester Hour(s)

The course examines the theory and practice of nuclear strategy. It reviews the development and current state of nuclear weapons technology, and how nuclear weapons have enabled various deterrence and warfighting strategies during and after the Cold War. The course traces the development of nuclear strategy and efforts to prevent proliferation. It considers the nuclear strategy of the major states who hold nuclear weapon or are actively trying to acquire them by considering China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. As great power competition has intensified since 2014, the role of nuclear weapons in great power conflict has also experienced a resurgence, where many strategic questions of the Cold War about deterrence credibility, strategic stability, the role of arms control pose themselves in a new form.