Atomic Anxiety

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-vii

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Frank Sauer

   Pages 1-7

3. Explaining Nuclear Non-Use

   • Frank Sauer

   Pages 8-37

4. Understanding Nuclear Non-Use

   • Frank Sauer

   Pages 38-71

5. Revisiting Nuclear Non-Use

   • Frank Sauer

   Pages 72-172

6. Conclusion

   • Frank Sauer

   Pages 173-183

7. Back Matter

   Pages 184-207

   PDF

With the concept of 'Atomic Anxiety', this book offers a novel perspective on one of the most important and longstanding puzzles of international politics: the non-use of U.S. nuclear weapons. By focusing on the fear surrounding nuclear weapons, it explains why nuclear deterrence and the nuclear taboo are working at cross purposes in practice.

• Security
• Nuclear weapons
• Nuclear non-use
• Nuclear deterrence theory
• Cuban Missile Crisis
• anxiety
• crisis
• emotion
• language
• novel
• Policy
• politics
• weapons

“Atomic Anxiety is a groundbreaking work that rigorously takes to task long-standing explanations of nuclear non-use. The attention given to the importance of the collective fear of death en masse and the interplay of deterrence and the nuclear taboo make this a must-read for scholars of international relations and security studies.” (Paige P. Cone, H-Net Reviews Humanities and Social Sciences, networks.h-net.org, October, 2018)

“Sauer … shed new light on a phenomenon (and on a country case) that has been explored already in detail and from different perspectives … . Regarding research design, Sauer skilfully navigates between utilizing, criticizing and enriching the state of the art, and between methodological reflexivity and pragmatism. Regarding theory building, his micro-level focus on individuals, as well as on emotions and fear in particular, opens up new perspectives for research on international norms and for International Relations in general.” (Elvira Rosert, International Affairs, Vol. 92 (5), 2016)

''By far the most intellectually sophisticated and compelling account of the most important non-event of the twentieth century. Sauer stresses the importance of fear of war and the deep-seated anxieties it generated, and the tension between nuclear doctrines and ethical commitments. His account of non-use of nuclear weapons during the Cold War is a must-read not only for scholars, but for anyone whose finger is on or near the red button.'' Richard Ned Lebow, King's College London, UK

''In this creative and thoughtful work, Sauer engages the debate over the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945 with an interpretive approach emphasizing the role of fear in the creation of 'nuclear abstinence'. His argument that belief in the nuclear taboo, rather than reinforcing deterrence between nuclear powers, instead undermines the ability to make a credible deterrent threat, offers an important challenge to our understanding of how both the taboo and nuclear deterrence 'work'.'' Nina Tannenwald, Watson Institute for International Studies and Brown University, USA

''This is the most important book since Nina Tannenwald's The Nuclear Taboo on that great conundrum why nuclear weapons have not been used in warfare since 1945. Displaying impressive command of theory, method and history, Frank Sauer breaks new ground by bringing the emotions of decision-makers into centre stage. His revelatory examination of the intricate, troubling relationship between deterrence strategy and the nuclear taboo leaves no room for complacency on the persistence of non-use. A fine achievement.'' William Walker, University of St Andrews, UK

• Bundeswehr University Munich, Germany

  Frank Sauer

Dr Frank Sauer is a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at Bundeswehr University Munich, in Germany. His research focuses on international security, and he publishes on nuclear issues, cyber security, terrorism, arms control, and the growing use of unmanned and robotic systems by the military. He also advises political and military decision-makers on these matters.

Policies and ethics