Avoiding Armageddon: Canadian Military Strategy and Nuclear Weapons, 1950-1963

Copertina anteriore
UBC Press, 1 nov 2011 - 224 pagine

The advent of nuclear weapons in the 1940s brought enormous changes to doctrines regarding the use of force in resolving disputes. American strategists have been widely credited with most of these; Canadians, most have assumed, did not conduct their own strategic analysis. Avoiding Armageddon soundly debunks this notion.

Drawing on previously classified government records, Richter reveals that Canadian defence officials did come to independent strategic understandings of the most critical issues of the nuclear age. Canadian appreciation of deterrence, arms control, and strategic stability differed conceptually from the US models. Similarly, Canadian thinking on the controversial issues of air defence and the domestic acquisition of nuclear weapons was primarily influenced by decidedly Canadian interests.

Avoiding Armageddon is a work with far-reaching implications. It illustrates Canada's considerable latitude for independent defence thinking while providing key historical information that helps make sense of the contemporary Canadian defence debate.

 

Sommario

Introduction
3
1 The Defence and Security Environment 19459
14
2 Canadas Air Defence Debate
37
3 Canadian Views on Nuclear Weapons and Related Issues of Strategy
59
4 The Canadian Debate on the Acquisition of Nuclear Weapons
80
5 Canadian Conceptual Understanding of Arms Control
105
6 Links between Canadian Strategic Thinking and Defence Policy 195063
130
Conclusion
146
Notes
164
Selected Bibliography
200
Index
209
Copyright

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Avoiding Armageddon: Canadian Military Strategy and Nuclear Weapons, 1950-1963
Andrew Richter
Anteprima limitata - 2002

Parole e frasi comuni

acquisition of nuclear agreement air defence Air Force aircraft alliance arms control Arrow atomic attack ballistic missiles bases Bernard Brodie bomb bomber Cabinet Defence Committee Cana Canada Canada-US Canadian defence officials Canadian Defence Policy Canadian forces Canadian government Canadian security Canadian strategic thought challenge Chapter Chiefs of Staff Cold Cold War command concept concern conflict cooperation countries debate decision Department of National deterrence developed DHRC Diefenbaker disarmament discussed DND officials document early environment examined External Affairs game theory identified important interests International issues James Eayrs John memo ment military minister National Defence NATO negotiations NORAD North America noted nuclear age nuclear balance nuclear forces Nuclear Strategy nuclear weapons observers Ottawa paper period political postwar Princeton RCAF revealed role Schelling Soviet Union strategic stability Strategic Studies strategic thinking strategists tegic Thomas Schelling threat tion United University of Toronto University Press York

Informazioni sull'autore (2011)

Andrew Richter is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, University of Windsor.

Informazioni bibliografiche

TitoloAvoiding Armageddon: Canadian Military Strategy and Nuclear Weapons, 1950-1963
Studies in Canadian Military History
AutoreAndrew Richter
EditoreUBC Press, 2011
ISBN0774840420, 9780774840422
Lunghezza224 pagine
  
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