Complex Deterrence

T. V. Paul is James McGill Professor of International Relations at McGill University.

Patrick M. Morgan is professor of political science and the Tierney Chair in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California, Irvine.

James J. Wirtz is acting dean at the School of International Graduate Studies and professor of national security studies at the Naval Postgraduate School.

“This book is a valuable antidote to some of the more glib and prematurely pessimistic statements that get circulated about ‘the end of deterrence as we know it.’ Quite comprehensive on the theories and modes of deterrence, it is valuable for drawing together both political scientists and policy makers.”

“The use of deterrence to prevent war did not go away at the end of the Cold War; it just became more complex. This valuable book provides new insights from psychology, political science, and history to illuminate the difficulties of using deterrence against terrorists, new states with nuclear weapons, and great powers in an age of globalization.”

“Deterrence and compellence are widely used strategies in the post-Cold War world, and this is the most sophisticated attempt by far to determine who embraces these strategies, in what circumstances and to what effect. The essays draw on traditional and recent developments in deterrence theory and are sensitive to empirical and psychological critiques. Policymakers and scholars alike have much to learn from this thoughtful volume.”