The medium nuclear powers and nuclear stability: The Nth Country Problem revisited

Miscellaneous · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:7303479

Hu, W

The theme of this thesis is about what is the impact of the three medium nuclear powers (Britain, France, and China) on nuclear stability. The purpose of studying this issue is to go beyond the thinking of the bipolar nuclear deterrence and to gain a better understanding of the meaning of a future multilateral nuclear world. Two different but complementary approaches -- structural realist and liberal institutionalist -- are used to interpret: (a) what are the structural reasons of the MNPs' nuclear behavior in the international system; and (b) what is the learning effect on their nuclear behavior. By examining the three countries' role in three aspects of nuclear stability (crisis stability, arms race stability, and nuclear nonproliferation), this thesis concludes that they are generally stabilizing to the international nuclear system, and rejects the relevance of the destabilizing propositions of the [open quotes]Nth Country Problem[close quotes] to the issue of the MNPs and nuclear stability.

• Research Organization: Maryland Univ., College Park, MD (United States)
• OSTI ID: 7303479
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
CHINA
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
NUCLEAR DETERRENCE
FRANCE
UNITED KINGDOM
ARMS CONTROL
MULTILATERAL AGREEMENTS
NON-PROLIFERATION POLICY
AGREEMENTS
ASIA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EUROPE
INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS
WESTERN EUROPE
350100* - Arms Control- Policy
Negotiations
& Legislation- (1987-)
290600 - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy