In recent years both the United States and the United Kingdom have confirmed the possibility that they might deter threats arising from emerging and disruptive technologies (EDTs) with nuclear weapons. A similar situation is believed to have occurred in other nuclear weapons states.
This policy shift signals both an increased emphasis on nuclear deterrence and a disregard for the uniqueness of nuclear weapons and the effect that any use of theirs would have. It also brings potentially damaging effects for the UK’s non-proliferation and disarmament commitments as enshrined in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Instead of aiming to deter the extreme use of EDTs with nuclear weapons, the UK and other nuclear weapons states should consider national resilience as the backbone of their mitigation strategy. Julia Berghofer
This policy brief, by ELN Senior Policy Fellow Julia Berghofer, argues that instead of aiming to deter the extreme use of EDTs with nuclear weapons, the UK and other nuclear weapons states should consider national resilience as the backbone of their mitigation strategy. This does not preclude conventional deterrence and prevention measures.
Read this policy brief.
The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or all of its members. The ELN’s aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europe’s capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security policy challenges of our time.
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