Nuclear peace is a theory of international relations that argues that under some circumstances, nuclear weapons can induce stability and decrease the chances of crisis escalation. In particular, nuclear weapons are said to have induced stability during the Cold War , when both the US and the USSR possessed mutual second-strike retaliation capability, which eliminated the possibility of nuclear victory for either side. Proponents of nuclear peace argue that controlled nuclear proliferation may be beneficial for inducing stability. Critics of nuclear peace argue that nuclear proliferation increases the chance not only of nuclear war but also of nuclear material falling into the hands of violent non-state actors that are free from the threat of nuclear retaliation. The major debate on the issue has been between Kenneth Waltz, the founder of neorealist theory in international relations, and Scott Sagan, a leading proponent of organizational theories in international politics. Waltz generally argues that "more may be better" and contends that new nuclear states will use their acquired nuclear capabilities as nuclear deterrence and thus preserve peace. Sagan argues that "more will be worse" since new nuclear states often lack adequate organizational controls over their new weapons, which makes for a high risk of either deliberate or accidental nuclear war or of theft of nuclear material by terrorists to perpetrate nuclear terrorism.
Nuclear peace is a theory of international relations that argues that under some circumstances, nuclear weapons can induce stability and decrease the chances of crisis escalation. In particular, nuclear weapons are said to have induced stability during the Cold War since both the United States and the Soviet Union possessed mutual second-strike retaliation capability, which eliminated the possibility of nuclear victory for either side. Proponents of nuclear peace argue that controlled nuclear proliferation may be beneficial for inducing stability. Critics of nuclear peace argue that nuclear proliferation increases the chance of nuclear war and of nuclear material falling into the hands of violent non-state actors that are free from the threat of nuclear retaliation. The major debate on the issue has been between Kenneth Waltz, the founder of neorealist theory in international relations, and Scott Sagan, a leading proponent of organizational theories in international politics. Waltz generally argues that "more may be better" and contends that new nuclear states will use their acquired nuclear capabilities as nuclear deterrence and thus preserve peace. Sagan argues that "more will be worse" since new nuclear states often lack adequate organizational controls over their new weapons, which makes for a high risk of deliberate or accidental nuclear war or of theft of nuclear material by terrorists to perpetrate nuclear terrorism.
R
, when both the US and the USSR
since both the United States and the Soviet Union
D
not only
R
but also
and
D
either