Journal Article - Quarterly Journal: International Security
Stigmatizing the Bomb: Origins of the Nuclear Taboo
Abstract
“Nuclear weapons have come to be defined as abhorrent and unacceptable weapons of mass destruction,” writes Nina Tannenwald of Brown University. The taboo, she argues, has become so widely recognized that the use of nuclear weapons—whether for tactical or strategic purposes—has become “practically unthinkable.” Tannenwald offers a systematic analysis of the development of a nuclear taboo in world politics and U.S. policy. She attributes the growth of the taboo to three factors: a global grassroots antinuclear weapons movement, the role of Cold War power politics, and the ongoing efforts of nonnuclear states to delegitimize nuclear weapons. She closes with some thoughts on ways to further strengthen the taboo, including the creation of a no-first-use agreement and the ratification of a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.
For more information on this publication:
Please contact
International Security
For Academic Citation:
Tannenwald, Nina. “Stigmatizing the Bomb: Origins of the Nuclear Taboo.” Quarterly Journal: International Security, vol. 29. no. 4. (Spring 2005): 5-49 .
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Analysis & Opinions
- International Affairs Blog
Nuclear Policy at the G7: Six Key Questions
Journal Article
- Security Studies
Madman or Mad Genius? The International Benefits and Domestic Costs of the Madman Strategy
Journal Article
- Ethics & International Affairs
Nuclear Ethics Revisited
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Paper
- Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It
Analysis & Opinions
- New Straits Times
Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
Blog Post
- Iran Matters
U.S.-Led Regime Change is not the Path
Abstract
“Nuclear weapons have come to be defined as abhorrent and unacceptable weapons of mass destruction,” writes Nina Tannenwald of Brown University. The taboo, she argues, has become so widely recognized that the use of nuclear weapons—whether for tactical or strategic purposes—has become “practically unthinkable.” Tannenwald offers a systematic analysis of the development of a nuclear taboo in world politics and U.S. policy. She attributes the growth of the taboo to three factors: a global grassroots antinuclear weapons movement, the role of Cold War power politics, and the ongoing efforts of nonnuclear states to delegitimize nuclear weapons. She closes with some thoughts on ways to further strengthen the taboo, including the creation of a no-first-use agreement and the ratification of a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty.
- Recommended
- In the Spotlight
- Most Viewed
Recommended
Analysis & Opinions - International Affairs Blog
Nuclear Policy at the G7: Six Key Questions
Journal Article - Security Studies
Madman or Mad Genius? The International Benefits and Domestic Costs of the Madman Strategy
Journal Article - Ethics & International Affairs
Nuclear Ethics Revisited
In the Spotlight
Most Viewed
Paper - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Attacking Artificial Intelligence: AI’s Security Vulnerability and What Policymakers Can Do About It
Analysis & Opinions - New Straits Times
Gorbachev and the End of the Cold War
Blog Post - Iran Matters
U.S.-Led Regime Change is not the Path