The Nuclear Dilemma In American Strategic Thought
Published posthumously, this book returns to a lifelong interest of Osgood's: American attitudes toward military force. His prose is clear and his insights are arresting-why, for example, should retaliatory use of nuclear weapons be regarded as of a morally different order than first use? The breadth of analysis reminds us how much we have lost with Osgood's passing.
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In the post-World War II era Americans have had a pressing need to come to terms with two critical international uncertainties: the future character of Soviet behavior and the likely shape of the nuclear danger. One recurrent idea that seeks to deal with these uncertainties is the notion that the United States is about to enter a period of peril because of an adverse shift in the strategic nuclear balance. The idea was most in vogue during the 1950s, but it has recently been revived as the "window of vulnerability."
Presidential campaigns do more than choose individuals for high office: our history shows many instances where elections have moved the country closer to a decisive resolution of long-standing issues. The 1984 presidential campaign gives the candidates a historic opportunity to build public support for reducing the risk of nuclear war. The American electorate is now psychologically prepared to take a giant step toward real arms reductions.
