Great Powers and the International Nuclear Weapons Order

Abstract

This research takes the English School approach to the study of international relations and applies it to the international nuclear order. It finds evidence for the existence of classical primary institutions identified by Hedley Bull, but argues that some, especially War, Balance of Power and Great Power Management, need to be understood in different ways in the context of the nuclear order. The thesis argues that what makes the international nuclear order unique amongst other global orders is the power of nuclear weapons—‘the absolute weapon’--and that it is an order maintained by and for states. It is, therefore best examined as an Inter-national Nuclear Weapons Order (INWO) rather than a Global Nuclear Order. It argues that, despite much of the current research claiming the nuclear order is in decline, it remains stable and rational. This stability is based on a shared interest between Nuclear Weapons States and Non-Nuclear Weapons States in nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security.