Nuclear Deterrence in the 21st Century: Lessons from the Cold War for a New Era of Strategic Piracy

Deterrence remains a primary doctrine for dealing with the threat of nuclear weapons in the 21st century. The author reviews the history of nuclear deterrence and calls for a renewed intellectual effort to address the relevance of concepts such as first strike, escalation, extended deterrence, and other Cold War-era strategies in today's complex world of additional superpowers, smaller nuclear powers, and nonstate actors.

Prior to her death in early 2012, Thérèse Delpech was one of France's foremost policy analysts and historians, and a leading global authority on international nuclear security. She had served as director of strategic studies at the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission and served as French commissioner on the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission for the disarmament of Iraq.