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Nuclear Statecraft: History and Strategy in America's Atomic Age (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) Paperback – November 20, 2012

by Francis J. Gavin (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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"Gavin not only succeeds in disentangling postwar nuclear history from the US-Soviet rivalry of the Cold War, but provides a deeper and more complex understanding of the long-term effects of nuclear weapons on Great Power relations."― Matthew Jones ― International Affairs

We are at a critical juncture in world politics. Nuclear strategy and policy have risen to the top of the global policy agenda, and issues ranging from a nuclear Iran to the global zero movement are generating sharp debate. The historical origins of our contemporary nuclear world are deeply consequential for contemporary policy, but it is crucial that decisions are made on the basis of fact rather than myth and misapprehension. In Nuclear Statecraft, Francis J. Gavin challenges key elements of the widely accepted narrative about the history of the atomic age and the consequences of the nuclear revolution.

On the basis of recently declassified documents, Gavin reassesses the strategy of flexible response, the influence of nuclear weapons during the Berlin Crisis, the origins of and motivations for U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy, and how to assess the nuclear dangers we face today.

In case after case, he finds that we know far less than we think we do about our nuclear history. Archival evidence makes it clear that decision makers were more concerned about underlying geopolitical questions than about the strategic dynamic between two nuclear superpowers.Gavin's rigorous historical work not only tells us what happened in the past but also offers a powerful tool to explain how nuclear weapons influence international relations. Nuclear Statecraft provides a solid foundation for future policymaking.

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Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
  2. Print length
    232 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    November 20, 2012
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6.12 x 0.69 x 9.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0801456754
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0801456756
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Nuclear Statecraft is a provocative and fascinating book. The writing is lucid, the analysis tightly woven and sophisticated, and the book's core conclusion―that much of what is said and thought about nuclear policy today remains hobbled by a pervasive ignorance of history (even, or perhaps especially, among nuclear policy experts)―is well argued and compelling. This book makes a significant contribution to the body of scholarly research about the evolution of US nuclear policy.

-- Janne E. Nolan ― Nonproliferation Review

Francis J. Gavin's elegant and eloquently argued Nuclear Statecraft is a useful and timely reminder to appreciate better the historical origins of the contemporary nuclear world.. [The] section dealing with Gavin’s debunking of the four myths on which nuclear alarmism is grounded―rogue states, tipping points, nuclear terrorism, and the so-called Long Peace―is worth the book’s price and should be compulsory reading for decision makers and policy practitioners everywhere. Nuclear Statecraft is a must acquisition for academic and public libraries.

-- Joseph M. Siracusa ― Journal of American History

Gavin not only succeeds in disentangling postwar nuclear history from the US-Soviet rivalry of the Cold War, but provides a deeper and more complex understanding of the long-term effects of nuclear weapons on Great Power relations.

-- Matthew Jones ― International Affairs

Gavin's project is not merely to set the rest of us straight on nuclear history so that we can 'get it right.' Rather, it is to point out that the most useful insights to nuclear weapon issues are likely found at the convergence of nuclear theory, policy, and history, with the additional caution that even a firm grasp of the former two does not imply an equally firm grasp of the latter.... To each related theory and policy discussion he imparts a useful perspective concerning both the neglect and misuse of historical data.

-- Col. John Mark Mattox ― Military Review

Review

This book will be a game-changer for the field of security studies. Francis J. Gavin's masterful, sweeping analysis demolishes the myth that U.S. nuclear weapons policy has ever followed the deductive logic of rational deterrence theory. Nuclear Statecraft convincingly shows that whether nuclear weapons enhance, imperil, or are irrelevant to international stability depends heavily on the ideas and behavior of the flesh-and-blood leaders who control them.

-- Jacques E. C. Hymans, University of Southern California, author of The Psychology of Nuclear Proliferation: Identity, Emotions, and Foreign Policy

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornell University Press; Reprint edition (November 20, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 232 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0801456754
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0801456756
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.12 x 0.69 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Francis J. Gavin

Francis J. Gavin

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Francis J. Gavin is the Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and the inaugural director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced

International Studies. In 2013, Gavin was appointed the first Frank Stanton Chair in Nuclear Security Policy Studies and Professor of Political Science at MIT. Before joining MIT, he was the Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs and the Director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas.

Gavin directs the Nuclear Studies Research Initiative and, with James Steinberg, the International Policy Scholars Consortium and Network. From 2005 until 2010, he directed The American Assembly’s multiyear, national initiative, The Next Generation Project: U.S. Global Policy and the Future of International Institutions. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Editors of theTexas National Security Review, a Non-Resident Senior Advisor at the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an affiliate of MIT’s Security Studies Program, a senior fellow of the Clements Center for National Security, a distinguished scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center, a senior advisor to the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and a life-member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He received a PhD and MA in history from the University of Pennsylvania, an MS in modern European history from Oxford University, and a BA in political science from the University of Chicago.

His writings include Gold, Dollars, and Power: The Politics of International Monetary Relations, 1958-1971 and Nuclear Statecraft: History and Strategy in America’s Atomic Age. His latest book, Nuclear Weapons and American Grand Strategy, was published by Brookings Institution Press in January 2020.

Learn more about Francis. J. Gavin: https://francisjgavin.com/

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Thomas A. Schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars A vitally important book on nuclear weapons and American foreign policy
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is one of those rare books which successfully integrates extensive historical research with sharp insights into the policy process. Gavin has written a succinct history of the nuclear age that takes issue with much of the conventional wisdom and has important implications for current nuclear-related questions such as Iran and North Korea. I recommend it enthusiastically.
7 people found this helpful
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David Browning
4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing but issues involved
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
Francis Gavin brings about a new look to the nuclear age, the Cold War, and what has happened since. He contradicts what theorists have been saying for the past 70 years, and what he says does have stitches of truth but I believe he pulls them out too far.
2 people found this helpful
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Vlad
5.0 out of 5 stars History and Strategy in America's Atomic Age
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2012
Verified Purchase
Excellent analytical work from the period of the Cold War. A critical look at this period, which does not always correspond to the well-established assessments. Good work, I enjoyed it. Francis J. Gavin's name is a guarantee of quality.
5 people found this helpful
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Henry H Gaffney Jr
1.0 out of 5 stars Gavin not reliable on U.S. nuclear statecraft
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
Gavin has not served in government and seems to know very little about what actually happened in the government -- very few references to government officials, far more to secondary sources who were also not involved in government. I know this because (1) I was intimately involved in the government for 13 years in NATO affairs, mostly on nuclear weapons matters, (2) in a think tank for 23 years watching international affairs closely, and (3) had 13 years of strategic discussions with the Russians, 1991-2004, finding them very level-headed about the horrors of nuclear war. In short, I knew far more than Gavin and he really didn't quite understand it all.
7 people found this helpful
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An Avid Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Frank Gavin is a fantastic writer. This insightful book is a must-read for ...
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2015
Verified Purchase
Frank Gavin is a fantastic writer. This insightful book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in nuclear statecraft. 5 Stars!
One person found this helpful
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Sabrina Evangelista Medeiros
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
Thoughtful insights from Dr Francis Gavin about such an intriguing era.
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Timothy R. Kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing insight
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2017
A refreshing and informative take on an important subject. Dr. Gavin's dedication to nuclear history and the cold war have made me a fan of his writing for years. A must read.
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