Publisher's Synopsis
Using the idea of nuclear culture as a new means of analysis, British Nuclear Weaponry Culture provides a new perspective on how and why understandings of, and policies about, nuclear weaponry within British government changed over time. Maguire approaches the study of British nuclear weapons from a very different perspective to the academic approaches that have dominated it to date. The field has been largely examined by academics from international relations and strategic studies, who have been interested in diplomacy and the formation of theories of deterrence, or those interested in the impact of technological change. This book does not deny that such work has provided useful insights into the story of British nuclear weaponry, but suggests that nuclear culture offers another fruitful way to think about nuclear decision-making. The book also challenges the idea that the British nuclear weapon programme is different to those that have followed it in countries such as Pakistan, India and North Korea. It argues that, in reality, the British experience was similar and has much to teach us about nuclear proliferation. In doing so it seeks to make a radical and incisive contribution to the understanding of the history of British weapons of mass destruction during, and after, the Cold War, which will also be relevant to understanding issues of proliferation in the twenty-first century.
