BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S NUCLEAR POSTURE REVIEW AND AMERICAN NUCLEAR POLICY:  A CRITICAL OVERVIEW

Rizwan  Zeb

doi:10.54690/margallapapers.27.1.151

Authors

Rizwan Zeb Air War College, Karachi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54690/margallapapers.27.1.151

Keywords:

Nuclear Posture Review, Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Proliferation, Non-proliferation, US Nuclear Policy.

Abstract

The US Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) has been an important document detailing the US administration's policy preferences since its first issuance in 1994. Biden administration released its NPR in October 2022, which identifies nuclear rivals and focus areas examining the role of nuclear weapons in overall US strategy. Using the historical research method and open-source information, the paper provides an overview of the US strategic calculus on nuclear weapons since 1945, focusing on post-Cold War developments and how its nuclear policy and strategy evolved. The paper argues that despite advocating for nuclear disarmament, US presidents stayed within lip service and kept enhancing the US nuclear stockpile. It also highlights that President Trump’s decisions adversely affected US nuclear weapons policy and global security and that President Biden’s NPR would follow the route rather than fulfil his campaign promises. The paper has three parts: the first deals with US nuclear policy during the Cold War; the second looks at the policy during the post-Cold War era from President Bush Senior to President Biden. The third and final part critically analyses the overall nuclear policy challenges faced by the Biden Administration and how it might address them.

Bibliography Entry

Zeb, Rizwan. 2023. "Biden Administration’s Nuclear Posture Review and American Nuclear Policy: A Critical Overview" Margalla Papers 27 (1): 53-66.

Author Biography

Rizwan Zeb, Air War College, Karachi

Dr Rizwan Zeb is a Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at Air War College Institute, Karachi.

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