This book provides an introduction to political and strategic aspects of nuclear weaponry. It offers an accessible overview of the concept of nuclear weapons, outlines how thinking about these weapons has developed and considers how nuclear threats can continue to be managed in the future.
It includes:

• Coverage of nuclear testing, proliferation, strategy, global actors and disarmament.


• Analysis of contemporary topics such as nuclear terrorism.


• A timeline of key nuclear events.


• Annotated further reading lists helping you to locate sources for essays and assignments.


• Summaries, study questions and a glossary of key terms


• Free SAGE journal articles available on the Resources tab

The author will be providing regular updates to his suggested web resources, so be sure to check the Resources tab for the most up-to-date.

The Politics of Nuclear Weapons is essential reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in Nuclear Politics.

Introduction: the politics of nuclear weapons
Chapter 1: What are nuclear weapons?
Chapter 2: Testing, defining and delivering nuclear weapons
Chapter 3: Nuclear proliferation: why states do or don¿t build the bomb
Chapter 4: Nuclear strategy: understanding the MADness
Chapter 5: Vertical proliferation challenges: assessing Article VI of the NPT
Chapter 6: Horizontal proliferation challenges: the nuclear outliers
Chapter 7: Managing nuclear proliferation challenges: limiting, preventing and defending
Chapter 8: Nuclear weapons and new global actors
Chapter 9: Nuclear disarmament
Chapter 10: Enduring nuclear challenges
Conclusion: surviving our nuclear future

Andrew Futter is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Leicester.