Nuclear Weapons in Neo-Realist Theory

Abstract

This essay identifies a difference of opinion over the role of nuclear weapons as an absolute deterrent as the basis for the theoretical disagreement between Kenneth Waltz and John Mearsheimer regarding whether security is attained through the maintenance of the status quo or through the aggressive elimination of potential rivals. The essay traces the writings of both scholars over a period of decades to demonstrate how Waltz has come to regard nuclear weapons as making conquest so unprofitable that possessing them provides absolute security. It also shows how Mearsheimer holds a more ambiguous position on the deterrent strength of nuclear weapons, which helps to explain why he believes that states still seek security through offensive action. The essay offers a guide to show how these important theories influence and shape current policy debates over the proliferation of nuclear weapons to both state and nonstate actors.

Supporting Israel by Withholding Support from International Organizations: UNRWA and UNESCO in Trump’s Foreign Policy.

“…But neo-realist position on nuclear weapons as means of deterrence has not been unanimous. Waltz and Mearsheimer have historically recognized the role played by such armaments and both emphasized the stabilizing effects that nuclear weapons brought to the international system, but Mearsheimer stress the interest of states to expand and achieve regional hegemony (Krieger & Roth, 2007). Indeed, Waltz (2012) noted that allowing Iran to have nuclear weapons would restore stability in a fragmented Middle East.…”

The Evolution of US Policy towards Iran and the Iranian Nuclear Program. (c2021)

“…Kenneth Waltz, a leading scholar of neorealism, hypothesizes that international relations are anarchical in the sense that there's no one sole state that rules a whole system (Rezaei, 2017). Due to escalated concerns between nations, they tend to maintain power in order to ensure their security (Kreiger, Z & Roth, A, 2007). In the international world, states are in continuous indeterminate anarchy which forces them to seek their own security through what is called "hardline politics" (Zavada, 2019).…”