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The article tries to explain why China, after having launched a crash programme in the mid-1950s to develop a nuclear deterrent, did not formulate a clear operational doctrine with respect to the targeting and employment of atomic weapons until the mid-1980s. Propositions derived from neoclassical realism are used to shed some light on this puzzling aspect of China's nuclear doctrine. The general hypothesis of the study is that, international predicaments notwithstanding, China's domestic politics prevented the possibility of articulating a clear and detailed nuclear doctrine during the period following the first nuclear test, when such a doctrine was more necessary.

"Contents" -- "List of Acronyms" -- "List of Tables" -- "Acknowledgments" -- "Introduction" -- "Part I: Early Attempts to Arms Control" -- "Chapter 1: Technological Aspects of World Security" -- "Chapter 2: Anti-ballistic Missiles" -- "Introduction" -- "Discussion of ABMs from a Technical Point of View" -- "Kill Method" -- "The Attacker's Response" -- " Penetration Aids" -- " Attacker's Strategies to By-Pass ABMs" -- "A Remark" -- "Cost Effectiveness" -- "Uncertainty over Performance and Arms Race Effect" -- "The Present Situation" -- "Historical Outline" -- "The Russian ABM System" -- "The American ABM System: Sentinel" -- "Arguments Pro and Con ABM Deployment" -- "Arguments Pro" -- "Arguments Con" -- "Economic Arguments Pro and Con ABMs Deployment" -- " Arguments Pro" -- " Arguments Con" -- "Why They Did It" -- " In the Soviet Union" -- " In the United States" -- "A Final Remark" -- "Effect of ABM Deployment by the Superpowers on Third Countries" -- "Consequences on Arms Race and Détente" -- "Non-Proliferation Treaty" -- "Credibility of Guarantees, in Europe and Asia" -- "Effects on Neutral Countries "in Between"" -- "Superpowers' Involvement in Local Conflicts" -- "West European ABM" -- "Outlook" -- "Post Scriptum" -- "Chapter 3: International Relations and Game Theory" -- "Chapter 4: The Origins of MIRV" -- "MIRV Description" -- "The Polaris A-3 MIRV" -- "Early Multiple Satellites" -- "Titan III and Transtage" -- "The Poseidon MIRV" -- "Minuteman MIRV" -- "The Decision to Deploy" -- "Chapter 5: The Importance of Agreements" -- "Chapter 6: The Fallacy of Thinking Conventionally about Nuclear Weapons" -- "Chapter 7: Strategic Arms Limitation and Military-Strategic Concepts" -- "Part II: The Hard Times, 1978–1989" -- "Chapter 8: Radiation Hazards in Fission Fuel Cycles" -- "Introduction" -- "Mining"

"Few volumes on nuclear weapons and nuclear policy can match the quality of the ISODARCO 50th Anniversary collection, which excels in the authors' thoughtfulness and the range and significance of the issues they clarify."--Bruce D. Larkin, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of California at Santa Cruz, USA "This interesting volume brings together a stellar cast of international experts on nuclear policy and arms control. Their contributions echo the history of the nuclear age over more than five decades and display the evolution of thinking about the dangers and the imperatives associated with nuclear weapons. This collection also reflects the unique role that ISODARCO has played in the field for more than half a century."--Steven E. Miller, Director, International Security Program, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School "This collection of essays featuring many of the leading thinkers on nuclear disarmament, arms control and verification should be essential reading for both practitioners and researchers in the field." - Tariq Rauf, former Head of Verification and Security Policy Coordination, International Atomic Energy Agency This volume is a collection of contributions by world-leading experts in the nuclear field who participated in the educational activities of the International School on Disarmament and Research on Conflicts (ISODARCO). It features some of most prominent scholars and practitioners who contributed in fundamental ways to shaping policies, strategies, theories, scholarly studies, and debates in the field of non-proliferation and disarmament. On the occasion of ISODARCO's 50th anniversary this book revisits a selection of contributions that capture the pressing issues during the five decades of continuous engagement in disarmament and non-proliferation education