Why Diversify?: Evaluating Nuclear Force Structures and Delivery Platforms (2016)

Undergraduate: Jon Buchleiter

Faculty Advisor: Stephen Gent
Department: Peace, War & Defense

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The acquisition of nuclear weapons is frequently treated as a transformative development in international relations. The presence of these weapons is considered to alter the basic strategic calculus of how states interact with nuclear capable states. A recent surge in publications reflects renewed scholarly interest in nuclear weapons and nuclear security has come to be described as a renaissance in nuclear studies. Recent scholarship has explored important questions about the impact of nuclear weapons on international relations. However, further work on the particulars of nuclear capabilities and force postures can help to collaborate (or refute) some recent findings and improve understanding of how and why states develop different delivery platforms. This is a mixed methods study combining quantitative analysis of states' nuclear arsenals and delivery platforms over time with qualitative in-depth looks at particular countries' decisions in particular historical instances.