The Doctrine of Nuclear Detterence: A Lingering Constraint on Nuclear Weapons Law

Abstract

The world has been plagued by armed conflict for many centuries preceding the development of nuclear weapons. Nuclear Deterrence theorists maintain that the world has enjoyed greater peace since World War II because of the existence of nuclear weapons, constituting a deterrent factor to war. If this theory is tenable, then the security of the world is invariably safeguarded by the presence of nuclear weapons and a move to completely eliminate them will inevitably reverse the progress made towards safeguarding the world. While nuclear weapons' advocates argues that the security of the world is safeguarded by the possession of nuclear weapons by states, anti-nuclear weapons' advocates argued that the security of the world is endangered by the continued existence and proliferation of nuclear weapons. They argue, also, that the probability of the elimination of nuclear weapons would increase if the nuclear deterrence doctrine were invalidated. The ultimate inquiry, therefore, would be whether the elimination of nuclear weapons would be detrimental or beneficial to the preservation of world peace and security. to determine the question, it is imperative to examine the accuracy of the nuclear deterrence theory because it plays a fundamental role in the preservation of nuclear weapons in the military arsenals and defense policies of states. If nuclear weapons actually play a positive role towards the maintenance of world peace and security, that singular fact negates the importance of the legal framework of their elimination