History and the Unanswered Questions of the Nuclear Age
Francis J. Gavin

January 25, 2016

We are fortunate to be in the midst of what has been called a renaissance in nuclear studies, both within political science and international history. How much do we know about nuclear dynamics and international relations, and what are the best ways – and challenges – to learning more? How has this new scholarship changed the way we understand the nuclear age? And are we conducting our research in the most productive ways? Perhaps most importantly, what lessons (if any) do these insights provide for policymakers? Unfortunately, despite some truly impressive work, the state of our understanding of nuclear statecraft is less than ideal. I suggest that both because of the way nuclear studies have been conducted in the past and because of challenges unique to understanding nuclear dynamics, several of the most fundamental questions remain (stubbornly) unanswered. By recognizing these limits, however, I suggest we may construct a more productive research agenda that could improve our understanding of nuclear weapons affect international relations.

Francis J. Gavin is first Frank Stanton Chair in Nuclear Security Policy Studies and Professor of Political Science at MIT. Before joining MIT, he was the Tom Slick Professor of International Affairs and the Director of the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas. Dr. Gavin is an Associate of the Managing the Atom Program at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, Senior Fellow of the Clements Program in History, Strategy, and Statecraft, a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center, an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC, a Senior Advisor to the Nuclear Proliferation International History Project at the Woodrow Wilson Center, and a life-member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

History and the Unanswered Questions of the Nuclear Age

The Center for Global Security Research (CGSR) sponsored this seminar entitled "History and the Unanswered Questions of the Nuclear Age " on Jan. 25, 2016, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The seminar was presented by Francis J. Gavin, professor of Political Science at MIT.

LLNL-VIDEO-686958