The Future of Extended Deterrence

"For readers who have a greater familiarity with the subject, the book provides a useful reminder of some of the issues involved. For those less familiar with it, The Future of Extended Deterrence is one of a number of primers on the topic that could be recommended. Whichever camp readers fit into, the volume needs to be read sooner rather than later."

Examining issues like alliance commitments, nuclear weapons policy, nonproliferation, and missile defense, this book provides a comprehensive assessment of extended deterrence through the prism of NATO but with implications far beyond.Are NATO's mutual security commitments strong enough today to deter all adversaries? Is the nuclear umbrella as credible as it was during the Cold War? Backed by the full range of US and allied military capabilities, NATO's mutual defense treaty has been enormously successful, but today's commitments are strained by military budget cuts and antinuclear sentiment. The United States has also shifted its focus away from European security during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and more recently with the Asia rebalance. Will a resurgent Russia change this? The Future of Extended Deterrence brings together experts and scholars from the policy and academic worlds to provide a theoretically rich and detailed analysis of post--Cold War nuclear weapons policy, nuclear deterrence, alliance commitments, nonproliferation, and missile defense in NATO but with implications far beyond. The contributors analyze not only American policy and ideas but also the ways NATO members interpret their own continued political and strategic role in the alliance. In-depth and multifaceted, The Future of Extended Deterrence is an essential resource for policy practitioners and scholars of nuclear deterrence, arms control, missile defense, and the NATO alliance.