M5D1: National Security and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

38734M5D1: National Security and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction

Keir Lieber and Darryl Pressman present the case that the United States has achieved a unique and quite powerful position in the hierarchy of nuclear armed states. On the other hand the remainder of our material this week indicates dangerous vulnerabilities involving the potential use of weapons of mass destruction by “rogue” states like North Korea or attacks by terrorists.
In this discussion we engage the merits and deficiencies of America’s contemporary position regarding WMD.
When you have completed this activity, you will be able to:
• Discuss the unique capabilities of weapons of mass destruction and the threat they pose to national security (CO#5)

Please respond to the following:
• Lieber and Pressman advance a convincing argument regarding the contemporary nuclear balance-what in your mind are the most significant advantages accruing from this status? What potential negative consequences for security can you envision as the result of this same condition? While nuclear weapons are unmatched in destructive capability, we have also explored the risks of biological and chemical weapons-and the reality that countering the proliferation of all these weapons requires sophisticated and complex organizational coordination at every level of government.
• In terms of Ashton Carter’s emphasis on the “8 Ds” which of these elements would you judge to be the most important, and what would you identify as the most serious obstacles to orchestrating all of these resources cooperatively as Carter claims is essential?

Week 5 Reading:

– Module Notes: CBRN-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Weapons
– Carter, A. B. (2004). How to Counter WMD. Foreign Affairs, 83(5), 72-85.
– Lieber, K.A., & Pressman, D.G. (2013). The new era of nuclear weapons, deterrence and conflict. Strategic Studies Quarterly, spring 2013, pages 3-14