Cheapening nuclear weapons is eroding the precondition for deterrence

Evidence

Early in the Cold War weapons of mass destruction met this requirement. They were prohibitively expensive, and only the richest two superpowers had nukes. But as the race progressed, warheads got cheaper. The cost of conventional weapons—submarines, fighters, and carriers, for example—soared, but the nuclear warheads themselves got smaller and cheaper. Pretty soon, England and France were testing nuclear warheads, then China and South Africa. By the 1970s India had successfully tested nuclear warheads, too, and by the 1990s so had Pakistan. Now, Israel and North Korea have them as well. The most important precondition for deterrence is disappearing. — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 602 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Nuclear weapons grew cheaper as they proliferated, undermining deterrence — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 602; Proliferating nuclear weapons increase the risk of accidental world-ending war — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 610; Low-cost warfare makes states more likely to bomb casually. — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 594 (+9 more)

Related

• Nuclear weapons grew cheaper as they proliferated, undermining deterrence (similarity 0.96)
• Low-cost bioweapons manufacture destroys the logic of deterrence (similarity 0.84)
• Proliferating nuclear weapons increase the risk of accidental world-ending war (similarity 0.82)
• Technical weapons characteristics no longer distinguish nuclear from conventional arms (similarity 0.81)
• Cold War weapons costs multiplied simultaneously across every system category (similarity 0.80)
• The most expensive weapons serve as deterrents by projecting power globally. (similarity 0.80)
• Costly advanced weapons deter rivals just like large animal weapons (similarity 0.80)
• Nuclear weapons make war as an instrument of policy obsolete (similarity 0.79)
• The Cold War outcome does not prove deterrence worked (similarity 0.79)
• Low-cost warfare makes states more likely to bomb casually. (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Nuclear weapons grew cheaper as they proliferated, undermining deterrence #corroborates (0.90) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 602
• Low-cost bioweapons manufacture destroys the logic of deterrence #expands (0.60)
• Deterrence theory rests on flawed assumptions and misrepresented history. #corroborates (0.50)
• Proliferating nuclear weapons increase the risk of accidental world-ending war #complicates (0.40) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 610
• Low-cost warfare makes states more likely to bomb casually. #qualifies (0.30) — Grégoire Chamayou, A Theory of the Drone, 594