The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, Second Edition [Paperback]

Scott D. Sagan (Author), Kenneth N. Waltz (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393977471 | ISBN-13: 978-0393977479 | Publication Date: August 28, 2002 | Edition: Second Edition

In The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, professors Waltz and Sagan resume their well-known dialogue concerning nuclear proliferation and the threat of nuclear war.

Kenneth Waltz, Dean of Realist Theory in international relations at Columbia University, expands on his argument that "more may be better," contending that new nuclear states will use their acquired nuclear capabilities to deter threats and preserve peace. Scott Sagan, the leading proponent of organizational theories in international politics, continues to make the counterpoint that "more will be worse": novice nuclear states lack adequate organizational controls over their new weapons, resulting in a higher risk of either deliberate of accidental nuclear war. Treating issues from the ’long peace’ between the United States and Soviet Union made possible by the nuclear balance of the Cold War to more modern topics such as global terrorism, missile defense, and the Indian-Pakistani conflict, The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed is an invaluable addition to any international relations course.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Scott D. Sagan is professor of political science at Stanford University and co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation. He is the author of The Limits of Safety: Organizations, Accidents, and Nuclear Weapons and Moving Targets: Nuclear Strategy and National Security.

Kenneth N. Waltz is adjunct professor of political science at Columbia University. His books include Man, the State, and War: A Theoretical Analysis and Theory of International Politics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Second Edition edition (August 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393977471
• ISBN-13: 978-0393977479
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Current Events > Arms Control

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple debate, tremendous consequences, February 16, 2003

By 

Denis Benchimol Minev "Amazonia" (Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, Second Edition (Paperback)

This books puts together two colliding authors on whether the proliferation of nuclear weapons is a good idea or not. Waltz, one fo the premier figures of realpolitik, argues (brilliantly, even though I disagree with him) that proliferation is a good idea. Sagan argues there are too many organizational risks in the proliferation system.

The two present their arguments, and then respond to each other's argument. It is a fascinating argument, one that can be discussed in 1000 pages, but the authors do a tremendous job of synthesizing it and pointing out the major strenghts and weaknesses of each other's argument. In today's world, where we are willing to go to war to prevent proliferation, it is useful to take a step back and really understand what the main problems arising by proliferation are.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential read in international politics, December 26, 2007

By 

Daniel Evensen (Provo, UT, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is presented in an academic debate style. Waltz beings with a discussion of why the spread of nuclear weapons is not detremental to world peace. Sagan counters, after which both comment on the recent spread of nuclear weapons to both India and Pakistan. Both then write a conclusionary essay, essentially restating the arguments they made earlier.

This is a wonderful book for people interested in this aspect of international politics. Sagan and Waltz both make deep arguments, peppered with numerous historical references and held together by a sound logical structure. Though this book is quite complex, neither author writes in an overly academic style, which allows for a wide potential audience. You'll read more here about the theoretical logic behind the threat of nuclear war than you will about, say, the technical makeup of nuclear weapons.

My only complaint about this work is that Scott Sagan's responses to Waltz seem specifically devised to tear Waltz's argument apart, rather than constructing a logical arugment of his own. This book also includes quite a deal of repetition. After reading both author's take on the potentiality of an India-Pakistan conflict, one feels exasperated to see Waltz merely reiterate what he said earlier. However, this is still the best book of its kind on this subject, one that any serious student of foreign policy should pursue.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best, January 11, 2007

By 

Tanguy Baghdadi "Brazilian Baghdadi" (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed, Second Edition (Paperback)

Certainly the best debate ever produced about the existence of nuclear weapons and its distribution around the world. Highly recomended!