Deterrence during Disarmament: Deep Reductions and International Security by James M. Acton

In the current nuclear age, the concept of deterrence has assumed great significance, especially in the strategic community. As the use of nuclear weapons could have a greater adverse impact than any other man-made event, such weapons have been instrumental in deterring a nuclear war so far. However, since the famous policy speech in Prague by US President Barack Obama on 5 April 2009, and the signing of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in April 2010, questions have been raised regarding whether further reduction of nuclear arsenals by both the US and Russia could jeopardise their own security along with that of their allies, and in the process undermine the effectiveness of deterrence. In this book, James M. Acton has made an attempt to address these questions.