Introduction : investigating nuclear weapons in a New Era

Abstract

Leaders and governments in nuclear weapon states, their allies, and aspirants to the nuclear club believe that their nuclear forces or those of their allies can advance national security by providing a capability to counter specific threats; to achieve certain policy priorities; to demonstrate national power; to preserve freedom of action; or as insurance against uncertainty and risks in a changing international environment. Nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and strategic defense have entered or reentered the security thinking of the old, new, and prospective nuclear weapon states and their allies in a fundamentally different strategic environment and in a nuclear era that is substantially different from that of the Cold War. This study investigates the purposes and roles of nuclear weapons in the new security environment, the nature and content of the national nuclear strategies of relevant states, and their implications for international security and stability in the new era with the focus on the Asian security region. The latter is now a core world region and could become the geopolitical center of the world in the twenty-first century.