Project description
Non-nuclear weapons and the revolution in nuclear order
A new generation of high-tech and non-nuclear strategic weaponry has emerged recently due to the information revolution. The fundamental characteristic of this new class of weapons, named strategic conventional weapons (SCW), is that they can replace nuclear weapons. The rise of SCW also raise questions related to deterrence strategy, future arms racing and control as well as their impact on global nuclear order. The EU-funded NUCLEARREV project intends to conduct the first ever systematic academic study representing an entire rethink of the global nuclear order. The study will chart the SCW systems, analyse their potential impact on regional nuclear relations, investigate the role SCW could play in international nuclear relations and define the embryonic third nuclear age.
Objective
The world stands on the cusp of a major transformation in nuclear affairs. This paradigmatic shift is being driven by the development and deployment of an entirely new class of strategic weaponry, facilitated by the latest information revolution. The most important characteristics of these weapons are that they are all hi-tech and non-nuclear; that they can be used against an adversary’s nuclear forces, and that they are increasingly able to augment and even replace nuclear weapons for key national security functions. Taken together, we can think of these of these systems as Strategic Conventional Weapons (SCW), and as representing a fundamental challenge to the way that our nuclear world is managed. SCW raise questions about deterrence strategy, mutually assured destruction, future arms racing and arms control, and how best to retain and maintain global nuclear stability and peace. NUCLEARREV will therefore provide the first ever systematic scholarly study of SCW, make the case for a paradigmatic shift in nuclear studies, set the stage for a complete rethinking of the global nuclear order. The main research question is: How will Strategic Conventional Weapons change the Global Nuclear Order? To answer this the objectives are to: Chart the SCW phenomenon, globally; Analyse how SCW will impact regional nuclear relations and balances; Examine what the development of SCW means for the frameworks and dogma that govern international nuclear relations; Make the case for a revolution in nuclear affairs and define the embryonic Third Nuclear Age. This urgently required research will provide the landmark study of this phenomenon and the centrepiece for a whole new generation of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work on nuclear affairs. The project combines interviews with politicians, defence contractors, scientists, bureaucrats, and experts across the world; an innovative War Game exercise, as well as extensive archival research and Regional Feedback Workshops.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- humanitiesother humanitieslibrary sciences
- social sciencespolitical sciencespublic administrationbureaucracy
- social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical transitionsrevolutions
- engineering and technologyother engineering and technologiesnuclear engineering
You need to log in or register to use this function
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
LE1 7RH Leicester
United Kingdom