I Dilemmi Di Canberra, Canberra's Dilemmas

Christine Leah

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

    Abstract

    Why would Australia want nuclear weapons? Up to until just forty years ago the Australian government seriously studied the possibility of acquiring a nuclear capability. This interest declined from around 1974, due to geopolitical changes in Australia's strategic environment. These included alterations in the distribution of power, a more positive outlook for nuclear non-proliferation, which in turn seemed to "strengthen" the credibility of so-called U.S. security guarantees. How much value did policymakers attribute to U.S. extended nuclear deterrence? What were the geopolitical conditions underpinning what seemed to be a reliance on that guarantee, in lieu of a national nuclear capability? Will "reliance" on U.S. extended nuclear deterrence always be a feature of what policymakers purport to be an Australian strategic policy?
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)185-192
    JournalLimes, Rivista Italiana Di Geopolitica (Italian Review of Geopolitics)
    Publication statusPublished - 2012

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