Nuclear proliferation

Question 1

how has military / state capabilities become less important?

Answer 1

Smaller nations like India and Pakistan are becoming nuclear

Question 2

Summarise the UN definition of nuclear weapons:

Answer 2

• Atomic, explosive, lethal chemical and biological

- any future weapons which have comparable characteristics

Question 3

give a good example of the other minds problem in action

Answer 3

• Iran has tried to claim for the past two decades that they are trying to do positive things with their nuclear production, yet they are looked upon with much suspicion (e.g. France uses nuclear energy though)

Question 4

How powerful were past nuclear explosives and how powerful are they now?

Answer 4

• Hiroshima/Nagasaki blast was equivalent to 13,000 to 20,000 tons of TNT
• One mile radius, 90% destruction
• 150,000 dead, 250,000 later

WEAPONS TODAY ARE 50 TIMES THE STRENGTH OF THIS

Question 5

what are the dangers of nuclear weapons?

Answer 5

• international anarchy
• horizontal proliferation
• Accidents like Chernobryll
• International terrorism

Question 6

what are motivations for acquisition?

Answer 6

• security/survival
• Bureaucracy (private sector coalitions)
• Prestige

Question 7

what is the neorealist view of nuclear weapons?

Answer 7

• Deterrence
• ## MAD (Waltz particularly fond of this)

Question 8

What is the view of the UN security council on nuclear weapons?

Answer 8

• Increasing risk

- wants proliferation and disarmament

Question 9

Why does the UN construction of nuclear weapons as a threat fundamentally differ from that of realism?

Answer 9

• Realism says nuclear weapons are ok

Question 10

when did north Korea launch a long range rocket into orbit

Answer 10

February 2016

Question 11

Highlight some non prolifertion efforts

Answer 11

• SALT (1972-19179)
• Comprehensive test ban treaty 1996 (North korea signed but not ratified)
• 1968 non proliferation treaty

Question 12

what are the three pillars of the non proliferation treaty?

Answer 12

• 189 signatories, 3 pillars:
  1. preventing nuclear weapons spread beyond 5 recognised states
  2. encouragement of progressive disarmament
  3. Access to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes monitored by IAEA (international atomic agency)

Question 13

what question does Makinda pose about the UN?

Answer 13

• if it was designed to uphold or erode sovereignty

Question 14

how does Biersteker and weber define sovereignty?

Answer 14

• “political entity’s externally recognised right to exercise final authority over its own affairs”

Question 15

how does hinsley define sovereignty?

Answer 15

• a final and absolute political authority in the political community

Question 16

who says that sovereignty brings stability?

Answer 16

• Camilleri and Frank

Question 17

how does morgenthau define sovereignty?

Answer 17

• ‘a centralised power that exercised its law making and law enforcing authority within a certain territory’

Question 18

why could you see the peace of westphalia as counter liberal?

Answer 18

• simply a justification for a defence of state sovereignty to provide an excuse for dictatorial rule

Question 19

what was article two post war

Answer 19

prohibits the threat of force against the state

Question 20

what does Ayoob argue that has been the UN focus in order to bring stablity?

Answer 20

• That the UN has generally focused on third world relations

Question 21

which general secretary chancellor said that it was more important to defend the oppressed than frontiers and legal documents?

Answer 21

• Cuellar

Question 22

Which secretary general said that we need to find a balance between the needs of good international governance and the requirements of an ever more interdependent system?

Answer 22

• Ghali

Question 23

why can you say that somalia and Haiti were illegal interventions?

Answer 23

• no sovereign permission (however by 1992 there was no empirical sovereignty in place)