http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/weapons Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:24:45 -0400 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 20:24:45 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1596/scientific-federal-agencies-andand-the-united-states-negotiation-for-the-limited-test-ban-treaty-1962-1963 By Helen Thompson - In October of 1962, the United States and Soviet Union’s arms race in ballistic missiles escalated to an unnerving confrontation that lasted thirteen days, while both world leaders waited on opposite sides of the world for the other to say the word and start a nuclear war. This confrontation became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis and is equated to be the climax of the Cold War.[1] During these frightening thirteen days, President John F. Kennedy and Premier Nikita Khrushchev deliberated over launching nuclear warheads to begin a nuclear war in the Western hemisphere. The magnitude of this... Mon, 27 Mar 2017 12:38 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1596/scientific-federal-agencies-andand-the-united-states-negotiation-for-the-limited-test-ban-treaty-1962-1963 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1434/theories-of-nuclear-proliferation-why-do-states-seek-nuclear-weapons By David A. Smith - Nuclear proliferation refers to the spread of nuclear weapons and the technology used to produce such weapons, and to the process by which a state develops and/or comes into possession of nuclear weapons (US Department of Defence 2005). The first nuclear fight for survival ended in 1945 when the United States (US) used two nuclear bombs against Japan to bomb the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Carroll 2007). However, after WW2 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) accelerated its nuclear development program, due to fears that the US and their Allies would attack them (Holloway 1995,... Tue, 30 Aug 2016 02:35 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1434/theories-of-nuclear-proliferation-why-do-states-seek-nuclear-weapons http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1342/book-review-cyber-war-will-not-take-place By Justine Chauvin - In Cyber War Will Not Take Place1, Thomas Rid develops his argument on the concept of "cyberwar", previously formulated in an article of the same name2 published in January 2012. His chief point is that "cyber war has never happened in the past, it does not occur in the present, and it is unlikely that it will disturb our future";3 ergo the use of this concept to describe cyberoffenses is misleading.4 He has also written several articles related to cyberwar5, cyberweapons6 and cyberpeace,7 in which he argues against the militarization of the debate about cyberattacks,8 and in particular the confusing... Sun, 31 Jan 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1342/book-review-cyber-war-will-not-take-place http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1343/stuxnet-the-worlds-first-cyber-boomerang By Alex Middleton - In June 2012, two years after the initial discovery of the Stuxnet worm,1 an excerpt from David Sanger's then soon to be released book entitled Confront and Conceal was published in the New York Times.2 This piece, purportedly based on the testimony of several current and former American, European and Israeli officials, declared that Stuxnet – "the world's first fully fledged cyber weapon"3 was engineered by the United States and Israel as part of a wider covert operation aimed at undermining the Iranian nuclear program.4 Whilst the United States and Israel had long been suspected of developing... Sun, 31 Jan 2016 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1343/stuxnet-the-worlds-first-cyber-boomerang http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1188/us-policy-of-engagement-toward-north-korea-normalizing-the-balance-of-terror By Jung-Ju Lee - In this paper, I outline and evaluate three approaches to addressing the international threat posed by North Korea: 1) Hostile isolation through economic sanctions, intimidation, and aggressive military posturing to instigate denuclearization 2) Containment by impeding vertical and horizontal proliferation of North Korean missiles that emphasizes the maintenance of status quo over a policy of denuclearization 3) Engagement through multilateral efforts to offer political and economic incentives in exchange for gradual dismantlement of nuclear weapons production, backed by guarantees of international... Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1188/us-policy-of-engagement-toward-north-korea-normalizing-the-balance-of-terror http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1599/denuclearization-a-models-based-approach By Conor Hughes - With nuclear proliferation a major threat to international security, this study examines the factors that led three countries to denuclearize by applying Scott Sagan's three models: security, domestic politics, and norms. Rather than only observing security issues, which is the most common practice, this study also analyzes the importance of the other two models in denuclearization. The domestic politics model takes account of changes in leadership and state policies when denuclearization occurred. The norms model considers the prestige nuclear weapons bring and their role for the country, as... Tue, 31 Dec 2013 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1599/denuclearization-a-models-based-approach http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/631/russia-and-iran-strategic-partners-or-competing-regional-hegemons-a-critical-analysis-of-russian-iranian-relations-in-the-post-soviet-space By Moritz A. Pieper - Russia and Iran have a long history of being geographic neighbours, rivals, competitors and partners - a history which has coined mutual expectations, stereotypes and interactions. Still present in the Iranian collective memory, Tsarist Russia expanded territorially into wide parts of what had hitherto been part of “Greater Iran” in Central Asia and the Caucasus. That way, Tehran lost Tbilisi and Baku to Russia in the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan and the khanates of Yerevan and Nakhichevan in the 1828 Treaty of Turkmanchai (Katouzian 2009: 144) - a historic disgrace which not only took... Sat, 07 Apr 2012 10:52 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/631/russia-and-iran-strategic-partners-or-competing-regional-hegemons-a-critical-analysis-of-russian-iranian-relations-in-the-post-soviet-space http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/535/nuclear-weapons-testing-in-the-united-states-sacrificing-health-for-national-defense By Christopher Millson - As WWII ended, and the Cold War began, America began to strengthen its national defense against the Soviet Union. Alliances were created resulting in the formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact. The United States began to create an arsenal of nuclear weapons in order to protect the freedom of its citizens, and the freedom of the world. But freedom from communism would come with a price for the American people, and they would become victims of the United States government’s most lethal form of national defense, nuclear weapons. Despite early public support, victims of the tests eventually reacted... Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:20 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/535/nuclear-weapons-testing-in-the-united-states-sacrificing-health-for-national-defense http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1230/the-new-geopolitics-why-nuclear-weapons-no-longer-serve-us-interests By Richard Burt - Now I talk about the Cold War because I personally was very much part of that process. After graduating from Cornell, I attended the Fletcher school, where I discovered my passion, which was studying the dynamic of the U.S.Soviet nuclear competition. From there, I went to the New York Times, where I was the recipient, not of WikiLeaks, but of many other leaks that described the new developments of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union, and the response of the United States. Then, I went onto the State Department, where I was put in charge of one of the most complicated and challenging tasks of U... Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1230/the-new-geopolitics-why-nuclear-weapons-no-longer-serve-us-interests http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1253/containing-the-atom-paul-nitze-and-the-tradition-of-non-use-of-nuclear-weapons By Reid Pauly - Immediately following the first and only uses of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, President Truman described nuclear stewardship as “an awful responsibility that has fallen to us.”i The decision to use the bombs did clearly demonstrate the operational effectiveness of a new and awesome weapon, as the atomic bomb was generally accepted to have been critical in bringing about the Japanese surrender. Moreover, new weapon technologies have consistently been used in subsequent warfare throughout human history.ii Policy-makers in the post-1945 period, therefore, would have had... Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1253/containing-the-atom-paul-nitze-and-the-tradition-of-non-use-of-nuclear-weapons http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/257/how-to-think-about-iran-demystifying-a-complex-international-challenge By Michael J. Norris - "When can we expect a pro-Western, pro-business government in Iran?" asks a US government official in the quasi-fictitious film Syriana. Today, it is highly probable that the same question is still being asked by anxious diplomats the world over. Iran’s nuclear aspirations, domestic repression and vast oil reserves have posed concern to both Western powers and its Arab neighbours. The resulting stigma which surrounds Irant—that of a backward nation run by basket-case ideologues—has perpetuated the string of diplomatic failures. Misinformation about Iran is rife and consequently... Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/257/how-to-think-about-iran-demystifying-a-complex-international-challenge http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/251/colin-powell-examining-a-key-player-in-the-bush-administration By Jessica M. Biedron - To understand an administration, you need to understand the key players. Through analyzing the Bush presidency, it is clear that the agenda was constructed and shaped by more than just one man. The President’s choice for executive cabinet members is the first major decision he will make and may affect the outcome of his presidency. The President’s cabinet is comprised of the most senior appointed officers in the executive branch of the federal government. Amongst other things, Article II, Section II of the US Constitution gives the President the power to create an executive cabinet... Thu, 13 May 2010 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/251/colin-powell-examining-a-key-player-in-the-bush-administration http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/143/the-burden-of-disarmament-un-peacekeeping-operations-and-illicit-weapons By Ali B. Al-Bayaa - An increase in conflicting geopolitical interest and tendency for violence has seen the demand for weapons (especially small arms) increase on a continuous basis. All the meanwhile, these conflicts have called on the United Nations (and other multilateral institutions[1]) operations to restore the peace. While operational success of these efforts has hindered upon the fact that states face a difficulty in agreeing on what the common challenges are, let alone the collective strategies to address them (Prins, 2006:110), one thing remains evident, and that is the fact that small arms and light weapons... Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:58 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/143/the-burden-of-disarmament-un-peacekeeping-operations-and-illicit-weapons http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/140/international-law-and-nuclear-weapons-does-the-continued-development-of-advanced-nuclear-weapons-violate-international-law By Boris S. Nikitin - Throughout the twentieth-century, nuclear weapons got deadlier; their range and power have both increased, bringing the potential for greater devastation to the globe. To limit the spread of nuclear weapons, the international community adopted the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1968, which calls for the secession of the nuclear arms race and abandonment of nuclear weapons. Recent American attempts to start research in the field of the low-yield nuclear bunker buster bombs brings important issues of legality of the proposed research in light of Article VI of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty... Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:20 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/140/international-law-and-nuclear-weapons-does-the-continued-development-of-advanced-nuclear-weapons-violate-international-law http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1294/discerning-iran-exploring-the-motives-for-iranian-foreign-policy By Sohaib Perwaiz - One may wonder why Iranian political leaders would risk such high stakes with an obstinate position against a superpower. This could be answered if one looked beyond the realist perspective that oversimplifies a complex nation’s problems into the overused balance of power equation. This paper hopes to provide another, lesser mentioned perspective on the motives behind Iranian foreign policy and looks to internal political dynamics, rather than elusive security dilemmas, for answers. By bypassing the security dilemma perspective of Iranian policies that has become so popular nowadays, we... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 12:00 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1294/discerning-iran-exploring-the-motives-for-iranian-foreign-policy http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1168/the-necessity-and-caution-for-theatre-missile-defence By Ben Sheppard - In March, 1996, Mrs Thatcher reinvigorated the debate over ballistic missile defence in a speech at Fulton, USA, where she conveyed an urgent message that “acquiring an effective global defence against ballistic missiles is a matter of the greatest urgency.” It has been estimated that by the year 2000 there will be some 20 countries with ballistic missiles and some 25 countries will possess and will be developing weapons of mass destruction. While there is an apparent need for ballistic missile defences, there should be, however, caution in pursuing this policy with regard... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1168/the-necessity-and-caution-for-theatre-missile-defence http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1164/nuclear-weapons-proliferation-and-the-efficacy-of-deterrence By Luke Wilcock - Nuclear weapons were first used in anger during the Second World War against the Japanese. The Horishima and Nagasaki experience left nobody in any doubt that nuclear weapons were unique. Never before had so much destruction been meted out so suddenly by just two bombs. By the mid-1960s the number of countries openly possessing nuclear weapons had risen to five. The United States had been the first, closely followed by the Soviet Union, Britain, France, and China. The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty set out to prevent the further spread of nuclear weapons by making it illegal for... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1164/nuclear-weapons-proliferation-and-the-efficacy-of-deterrence http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1165/light-sabres-in-space-soviet-views-on-sdi By John Devlin - President Ronald Reagan branded the USSR an “evil empire” in March 1983. A few days later he instigated a “long-term research and development [R&D] program” to explore ways to protect America from strategic nuclear attack (Survival, 1983, p.130). This was a staggering proposal. The US would retain strategic nuclear forces for an indefinite period to uphold national security. Reagan added that the US did not “seek military superiority or political advantage” (Survival, 1983, p.130). This was the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI). It had the potential... Wed, 01 Jan 1997 12:00 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1165/light-sabres-in-space-soviet-views-on-sdi