Verified Document

Nuclear Strategy And War Essay

¶ … seventh and eighth chapters of Lawrence Freedman's book The Evolution of Nuclear Strategy. Indeed, the use or threatening of use of nuclear weapons has been a prominent and controversial topic for the last half century and change since the weapons were dreamt up and brought to reality. What follows this introduction is meant to be an abstract of what Friedman had to say. While the use of weapons of mass destruction was and remains a very charged subject, there is no doubt that it has altered the course of human history both when it is used and not used (Freedman). It is indeed interesting how the different motives and obligations can make the opinions about things like destructive bombs ebb and flow. While some may focus on the death, destruction and later fallout of Japan post-World War II, others still focus on the threat of these weapons being used against the United States and/or its allies. Other people still focus on the amount of money that is spent on these weapons as compared to boots on the ground and other more conventional forms of warfare. All of those factors came up at one or more points during the Cold War with the Soviet Union as much was made about spending, the Soviet nuclear threat, the proxies that both the United States and the U.S.S.R. used and so on. Politicians toiled and worked...

Indeed, winning at all costs could mean that many people lose including the supposed "winners" of the fight. A further complication of warfare, even war that is intended to be limited in scope and action, is that "limited objectives would be a necessary condition for limited war" but "they would not guarantee a limited war." The key to at least helping keep a war limited is to "restrictthe purposes for which they fight to concrete, well-defined objectives that do not demand the utmost military effort of which the belligerents are capable and that can be accommodated in a negotiated settlement (Freedman).
Nuclear weapons seem to have had a calming effect, and for two reasons. First, airstrikes are now a more common way to attack one's foes so ground wars and the mass chaos and disorder that come with them is mitigated a bit as surviving the blast is usually the only major thing to survive. This is further true when dealing only with conventional bombs and not nuclear weapons. The unabashed violence and conquering notions of yesteryear seemed to…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Freedman, Lawrence. The evolution of nuclear strategy. 3rd ed. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. Print.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Nuclear Weapons in North Korea
Words: 1919 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

At some point one must recognize that even if we identify a strategy to convince North Korea to cease its nuclear programs, history has shown us that their agreement means very little. Further, critics of attempts to neutralize North Korea point to the lack of sanctions that have been imposed for non-compliance with agreements (Kim, 2010). Major concerns for the international community when addressing this issue is their ultimate willingness

War on Terror Analysis
Words: 1354 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

War on terror has changed significantly since the attacks of 2001. Terrorism has always been a part of American life, with the assassination of President William McKinley in 1901 by Leon Czolgosz. More recently, however, the United States has contested with terrorism stemming from extreme Islamist groups that are at ideological odds with the Western way of life. The war on terror that began in 2001 has grown to represent

War World War II Nuclear
Words: 1382 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

The components of nuclear prevention have a physical and a psychological character. On the physical level, deterrence necessitates a series of military instruments, sufficient to threaten the opponent in a way that it would not even think of attacking. Successful deterrence is certain, however, only if the will is there to use these weapons. Deterrence is plausible only if a nation is able to successfully convey the first two points

Strategy of Renewable Energy in
Words: 2300 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Proposal

However, dependence on one single form of renewable energy will not be practical as all geographical regions within the United Kingdom have their own geographical features and all energy uses have their own specific requirements. For this reason, a diverse range of renewable energy resources will have to be used suiting each geographical location and the use of energy. Wind Energy Incorporation of wind energy in UK energy supply system has

War on Terrorism: Though It
Words: 2809 Length: 9 Document Type: Research Paper

Diplomacy: The establishing of healthy diplomatic relationships with other nations is an important tool in guaranteeing a safer nation with peace. In efforts aimed at improving the diplomatic ties with some Middle East countries like Pakistan, the United States embarked on strategies of cooling hostilities with these countries. For a long period, some Middle East countries have been considered as nations which sponsor terrorism particularly against the United States. This notion

War in Afghanistan
Words: 3312 Length: 9 Document Type: Research Paper

War in Afghanistan After the terrorist group al Qaeda attacked the United States on September 11, 2001, the American military was sent to Afghanistan to attack the Taliban, and destroy their governing position. The Taliban became the target of the U.S. because they had allowed Osama bin Laden to use their country as a training ground for terrorist activities directed against the United States. However, the U.S. is now bogged down

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now