Issues of Thermonuclear War Termination
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9769641 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Herman Kahn (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1970 |
| Volume | 392 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 133-172 |
| Publication date | 1970-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-7162 • E-ISSN: 1552-3349 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/000271627039200113 |
| OpenAlex | W2103524813 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
The possibility of thermonuclear war is here faced and its termination probed, in view of the fact that the missiles for such a war are already in existence and its actuality is therefore not truly "unthinkable." The premise is advanced that the '70's are perhaps the last decade of safety from such a war. Features of a modal model are explored, and six basic and omnipresent threats are discussed. The concept of a war of reciprocal reprisals is presented, as are the cases of ad hoc cease-fire, conditional cease-fire, and the continuation of war with both "rational" and "irrational" outcomes. Ways to hypothecate force in a stable balance-of-terror environment are then examined, and eleven types of war outcome analyzed. The various situations enhancing acceptability of at least an ad hoc cease-fire are listed, and the possible results of taking the recommended design cases seriously are emphasized. A sample mobilization scenario is given in the concluding re marks of warning
Epistemology · Political science · Premise · Reciprocal · Thermonuclear Fusion · World War II · Intelligence, Security, War Strategy · Law · Military Defense Systems Analysis · Military History and Strategy
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,04 |
| Citation span | 1971 - 2024 (54) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |