Nuclear weapons are not going to suddenly disappear. But they might create a more dangerous world in which countries are ...

There is a problem with deterrence; it’s not working. Not that we are about to descend into nuclear armageddon. But aside from nuclear wars, the United States’ deterrence paradigm does not seem to be ...

In the days of radio, when a batter crushed a basebal that was headed for a home run, the famous sports announcer Mel Allen described the ball’s trajectory as “going, going, gone.” The same descriptor ...

Deterrence was once meant to prevent war. Today, it is designed to make war manageable. When the United States attacks Iranian-connected targets, but does not attack Iranian territory, when Iran ...

As much as it has been touted that AI can enhance military deterrents, its unbridled application can, in fact, weaken ...

From 3–7 March 2025, members of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) have gathered for their third meeting since the agreement became law in 2021. About half the world’s countries ...

Chinese military vehicles carrying DF-41 ballistic missiles roll during a parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of Communist China in Beijing, Oct. 1, 2019. Credit: AP Photo/Mark ...

Regarding Sorin Adam Matei’s “The Ukraine War Calls for a Revival of Deterrence Theory” (op-ed, Aug. 23): Classical deterrence theory had a simple unifying goal: Defend democracy from communist ...

Concerns about crime have been the foundation for decades of get-tough policies aimed at deterring crime. The belief is that ever-greater punishment — by hiring more police, increasing prosecution, ...

The United States faces a fundamental deterrence problem in Taiwan. In a recent poll of more than 2,500 U.S. adults, fewer than half said they would support a direct U.S. military intervention if ...

Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss Carter Malkasian’s recent article on “America’s crisis of deterrence.” They debate whether recent policy failures are a breakdown of deterrence theory or U.S. policy, ...

U.S. adversaries—principally Russia and China—do not seem cowed, either by the risk of failure to achieve their objectives or by the fear of retaliation. There is a problem with deterrence; it’s not ...