The Politics of Nuclear Weapons

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xviii

   PDF

2. Introduction: The Politics of Nuclear Weapons

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 1-16

3. What Are Nuclear Weapons and Why Are They So Powerful?

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 17-36

4. Testing, Authorising and Delivering Nuclear Weapons

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 37-61

5. Nuclear Proliferation and Nuclear Ages

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 63-86

6. The Nuclear Revolution, Nuclear Strategy and Nuclear War

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 87-115

7. Vertical Proliferation Challenges

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 117-141

8. Horizontal Proliferation Challenges: The Nuclear Outliers

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 143-169

9. Managing Nuclear Threats: Structures of Global Nuclear Governance

   • Andrew Futter

   Pages 171-196

10. Nuclear Weapons and Non-State Actors

    • Andrew Futter

    Pages 197-219

11. Nuclear Disarmament

    • Andrew Futter

    Pages 221-246

12. Future Nuclear Challenges

    • Andrew Futter

    Pages 247-266

13. Conclusion: Surviving our Nuclear Future

    • Andrew Futter

    Pages 267-272

14. Back Matter

    Pages 273-333

    PDF

This comprehensively updated second edition provides an introduction to the political, normative, technological and strategic aspects of nuclear weaponry. It offers an accessible overview of the concept of nuclear weapons, outlines how thinking about these weapons has developed and considers how nuclear threats can continue to be managed in the future. This book will help you to understand what nuclear weapons are, the science behind their creation and operation, why states build them in the first place, and whether it will be possible for the world to banish these weapons entirely. Essential reading for all students of International Relations, Security Studies and Military History. 

• Nuclear Weapons
• Nuclear proliferation
• Nuclear strategy
• Nuclear disarmament
• Nuclear Politics
• Deterrence
• Nuclear War
• Disarmament
• Nuclear Science
• Testing and delivering nuclear weapons

​“In this highly accessible, fully updated second edition of The Politics of Nuclear Weapons, Andrew Futter provides a comprehensive and scholarly engagement with the issues and challenges that have shaped – and will continue to shape – the management, control, and possible elimination of nuclear weapons. The book’s judicious approach, grounded in a range of theoretical perspectives, makes it an outstanding introductory text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as providing an excellent resource for practitioners and interested readers.” (Professor Nicholas J. Wheeler, Director of the Institute for Conflict, Cooperation and Security, University of Birmingham, UK)

“Andrew Futter’s masterful introduction to The Politics of Nuclear Weapons is a much-needed antidote to two of the most serious but underappreciated nuclear dangers—complacency and ignorance. The second edition of his study provides a wake-up call to those who may believe the only existential threat we face today is the COVID-19 pandemic.” (Professor William C. Potter, Director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, USA)

“The Politics of Nuclear Weapons provides an important foundation for any study of contemporary nuclear issues, spanning decades, arguments, and the globe, with robust research.” (Dr Heather Williams, Lecturer at the Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS), King’s College London, UK)

Praise for the First Edition:

“The Politics of Nuclear Weapons is a book that has it all: fascinating personalities, fundamental scientific discoveries explained with clarity, and the birth of political issues that are as relevant today as they were over seventy years ago. … [It] is an excellent resource for students seeking a better understanding of the weapons that have dominated international security and strategy since 1945, and it is particularly suitable for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students. … it grapples effectively with a vast research literature and complex policy debates and provides a strong introduction to both the technological and strategic aspects of nuclear weaponry.” (Margad-Erdene Olzbaatar, Comparative Strategy, November 1, 2017)

“The book offers a meaningful synthesis of a wide variety of facts and opinions on key issues concerning nuclear weapons. Succinctly yet accurately, Futter describes the early years of the development of nuclear weapons and nuclear strategies, discusses differences between vertical and horizontal proliferation, identifies the obstacles associated with managing nuclear proliferation and disarmament, and addresses the challenges related to the access of non-state actors to nuclear weapons.” (Luboš Fendrych, Global Policy, August 13, 2015)

“Andrew Futter has written a superb textbook on the politics of nuclear weapons, covering both technical and political matters with original insight, expert commentary and thorough organization that makes this an excellent choice for undergraduate and graduate courses in international relations, foreign policy and military strategy.” (Stephen Cimbala, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Penn State Brandywine, USA)

“This timely book will provide students and academics alike with a valuable foundation for understanding nuclear weapons related issues in both historical and contemporary contexts. Andrew Futter guides the reader through the technologies, strategies and debates that have characterized the nuclear age from the Manhattan Project to present day concerns over the potential for nuclear terrorism and Iran's continued nuclearization.” (Wyn Bowen, Head of the School of Security Studies, King's College London, UK)

• School of History, Politics and International Relations, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

  Andrew Futter

Andrew Futter is Professor of International Politics at the University of Leicester, UK. 

Policies and ethics