Contemporary Nuclear Debates Missile Defense, Arms Control, and Arms Races in the Twenty-First Century - A Washington Quarterly Reader

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in the hands of both states and terrorist networks, is considered by many to be the greatest threat to global security today. "Contemporary Nuclear Debates" discusses the key issues surrounding that threat.;The book is divided into four parts. Part 1, "US National Missile Defence: When and How?" presents an overview of the missile defence debate and examines the merits of different deployment systems, such as sea-based, space-based and boost-phase. Part 2, "Global Perceptions of Missile Defence", goes beyond the standard debate about the risks and benefits of missile defences to examine the specific potential reactions of major countries, including China, India, Iran, Japan and Russia. Part 3, "Do Arms Races Matter Anymore?" asks which countries, if any, have the capability to conduct an arms race with the United States, whether any country would choose to do so, and what weapons a country might build in response to a US missile defence deployment. Part 4, "Is Arms Control Dead?" discusses the circumstances under which arms control is useful today, new principles upon which it can be based, and new visions for its future.