Publication

This paper describes how Washington’s interest in developing advanced nuclear weapons has gathered pace since the arrival of President George W Bush’s administration in January 2001. The authors explain how such a strategic pursuit in turn has formed part of a wider reorientation of updated US nuclear policy that seeks to increase the relevance of nuclear weapons in US military planning and boost the credibility behind the threat of their use. The paper states that the release of the US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) in January 2002 capped a year of discussion and debate within the Bush administration on the required size and role of the US nuclear arsenal, and that through the NPR the Bush administration was seeking a more aggressive stance on nuclear policy.