Nuclear Deterrence

Abstract

Most people believe that nuclear war and its inevitable aftermath are the worst things that humankind could bring about. That is why proponents of nuclear deterrence consider that threatening others with nuclear weapons is the only way of persuading them never to use such weapons. It is also why its opponents believe that a strategy of nuclear deterrence is both mistaken and ethically wrong. This article begins by discussing the nature of nuclear war and nuclear deterrence and then explores some of the pragmatic and ethical arguments in favor of and against deterrence, including arguments that draw on just war theory and game theory.