NUCLEAR WEAPON

Is Deterrence an Effective Strategy to Prevent the Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to Rogue States and International Terrorists? Why or Why not?

Is deterrence an effective strategy to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons to rogue states and international terrorists? Why or Why not?

Introduction

Deterrence strategy might be effective in the context of present times; moreover in the coming years it would not be appropriate to prevent nuclear proliferation by implementing the deterrence strategy as nations continue to advance their research and development. Thus, it is difficult to state if nuclear proliferation is easily preventable. The deterrence strategy might also act as a limitation over the nations that have power to face the challenges pertaining in the environment and to overcome the existing threats. There is not only one solution to overcome this problem, nations will have to work together with cooperation and need to make join and collective efforts to solve the issue of terrorism caused by nuclear weapons proliferation. Countries should consider having more effective control regimes and a greater emphasis over the transparency of certain material that would be helpful to build trust amongst nations and also to create alliance between nations (Kelleher &Reppy, 2011, p.97).

The number of nations having the capability to build nuclear weapons has shown a rapid increase in the past ten years. Along with this there are also some other countries that are on the verge of emerging as nuclear states and are stock-piling the weapons of mass destruction (WMD). With the expansion and spread of nuclear weapons it is more likely that these weapons will fall into the hands of rogue states and leaders that might use it in a negative way that is; supplying those weapons to the terrorist groups. Terrorist do not fear the threat of deterring nuclear weapons they would continue to kill themselves frequently and nothing could impose a threat or fear on them that would dissuade them from committing the terrorist activities (Alperen, 2011, p.114). Although the number of people that have been killed by conventional weapons is much greater than that of nuclear weapons it is expected that in the future years the destruction caused by these weapons would be higher (Karbo & Ray, 2010, p.286).

Countries after the 17th century have been considered as equal in political, social and economic context (Orakhelashvili, 2011, p.176). However, now with the proliferation of nuclear weapons an objection over this equality has been placed since the countries that are nuclear weapon states (NWS) are considered to possess greater power and therefore have become symbols of inequality. Moreover, the argument is that legally these states might be considered as equal nations but in reality they are not. The nuclear weapon states would exercise their power over the weaker ones and would continue to do what they want and the weaker ones would suffer as they have been suffering already (Wirtz & Lavoy, 2012, p.5). Countries that use nuclear weapons against humanity are in the league of rogue states and are included in the ...