The Political Utility of Nuclear Weapons in Nuclear War Termination

Abstract

This thesis begins with a discussion of the theoretical aspects of nuclear war termination. Specifically, the objective of war termination, the requirements necessary to meet that objective, and the unclassified guidance available on war termination. As a more practical matter, the Soviet view of war termination is then covered. This is followed by a discussion of the goals of the United States in the event of a nuclear war and how those goals may change depending on the scenario. Finally, the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II is analyzed as a case study to determine the significant historical lessons which may be of value in the future. Particular attention is given to the political actions which were taken as a result of the use of nuclear weapons. Nuclear war termination, Soviet war termination, Soviet war objectives, Japanese surrender. (eg)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA217956

Entities

People

  • Mark K. Johnston

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Case Studies
  • Civil Rights
  • Command And Control
  • Economic Systems
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Market Economy
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Bombs
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Political Science
  • Political Systems
  • Schools
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Physics
  • Political science

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies