The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy [antikvár]

Preface to the Second Edition Since the first edition of this book was published in 1981 there has been an almost continuous debate underway in the Western world on questions of nuclear policy. In addition there has been a substantial amount of original scholarship on the history of the postwar world, much of which deals directly with the subject matter of this book. I had intended to draw on this new material in a complete revision of the book. I decided against doing this, partly because of time and partly because of space. In addition much of the new research has been on the policy-making process, yet my main focus was on the public and academic debates surrounding nuclear strategy. The bulk of this book is therefore as it was first published. I have however added a new chapter outlining some of the main themes of the 1980s, which has turned out to be one of the most cridcal decades in the history of nuclear strategy. In a sense it might be argued that the intensity and variety of the developments of the 1980s contradict the suggestion made in the first edition that nuclear strategy had run its course - at least intellectually. However, my view is that this suggestion has if anything been reinforced by the developments of the past decade. During this period those who argued that nuclear strategy could be reinvigorated if only sensible and courageous policies were adopted have had ample opportunity to prove their point, for the Reagan Administration was receptive to their views. The main result of their efforts would appear to be that the intellectual exhaustion of nuclear strategy is now matched by its political exhaustion.