Deterrence is no substitute for strategy, and there’s danger in confusing the two. A resurgence of debates about deterrence and coercion are necessary given their neglect in post-Cold War foreign ...

In their quest to remake the global order, Vladimir Putin is ravaging Ukraine while Xi Jinping is threatening to do the same to Taiwan. Does this already signify the end of the “integrated deterrence” ...

As a turbulent year draws to a close, the Middle East is entering another phase of heightened strategic tension, with the ...

In their article “ Europe’s Bad Nuclear Options ” (July/August 2025), Florence Gaub and Stefan Mair argue that the U.S. nuclear umbrella “for decades has shielded the continent from outside threats.” ...

Russian troops block the Ukrainian military base in Perevalne during its 2014 annexation of Crimea. UC Davis political scientists have received a U.S. Department of Defense grant to study when ...

National security specialists talk about deterrence a lot. Like, a lot. Analysts are churning out a steady stream of articles debating how best to deter a variety of actors from taking a variety of ...

Too often, discussions of how to conventionally deter Chinese or Russian aggression occur in the absence of any thinking about whether a stated deterrence strategy is feasible if a war were to break ...

Drones have the potential to enhance nuclear deterrence, but they also introduce significant risks in terms of escalation control and first-strike stability. Drones and other autonomous vehicle ...

A mass rally celebrating the re-election of Kim Jong-un as North Korea's leader is held at Kim Il-sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released on April 14, 2019 by North Korea's ...

In the 1930s, France built impressive fortifications called the Maginot Line to prevent German forces from crossing its eastern border. The line was so impressive that it deterred the Germans from a ...

Deterrence isn’t what it used to be. In the second half of the twentieth century, it was the backbone of U.S. national security. Its purpose, logic, and effectiveness were well understood. It was the ...

From left: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Joe Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announce the AUKUS deal in San Diego, California, U.S., Mar. 13, 2023. Credit: ...