GOVT 50.23 Keeping the Nuclear Peace

In the early years of the nuclear age, analysts anticipated dozens of states would acquire nuclear weapons and worried deeply about the outbreak of nuclear war. Yet we are now almost 80 years into the nuclear age and only nine states have nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons haven’t been used in war since 1945. This course will examine a variety of different explanations for these surprising outcomes, including the power of deterrence, normative beliefs, nonproliferation and arms control policies, and luck. It will also explore whether these trends are likely to continue in the coming decades, as many analysts fear we are entering a new and more dangerous nuclear age.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:INT or SOC

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Government