War Studies

Date of publication: 12/02/2019 Description: Researchers and students of war and global security often look to the past to better understand developments in the present. So, how might the history of Nuclear weapons help us understand today’s security challenges?   The advent of nuclear weapons caused a significant shift in the perceived cost of war between great powers due to the sheer power of nuclear arsenals. In turn, the unacceptable risk and danger of nuclear war necessitated the establishment of many international treaties that seek to prevent the use, proliferation and spread of nuclear weapons, along with providing a route to eventual disarmament. Many of the multilateral and bilateral treaties developed during the Cold War era, such as the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which currently has 190 state parties with North Korea’s withdrawal, and the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty between Russia and the US, which has recently been suspended by both parties, are still a