Proliferation theory and nonproliferation practice

Political science theory is policy relevant, consider two ongoing academic debates on proliferation, the 'optimist-pessimist' debate, and the closely related 'managing proliferation' debate. The optimist-pessimist debate concerns whether the spread of nuclear weapons leads to greater geopolitical stability because nuclear weapons are conducive to mutual deterrence. The second debate, how to manage proliferation, grows out of the first and has more interesting implications for policy makers. The proliferation topic is particularly useful for teaching the basics of political science methods because it is intrinsically interesting and holds obvious prima facie importance to students. It is something of a challenge to convince students that they should care about the causes of the First World War or the relative stability of bipolar versus multipolar international systems. The non-proliferation regime denies would-be proliferators access to information and technology and forces them to develop their weapons in great secrecy with minimal testing.

Duke Scholars

Author Peter D. Feaver Political Science