Reviews of Deterring America
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International Affairs vol. 82, no. 6 (November 2006): 1174-76 Click to view Military Review (January-February 2007): 117. Click to view Perspectives on Politics vol. 5, no. 2 (June 2007): 418-19. Click to view Contemporary Security Policy vol. 28, no. 2 (August 2007). Click to view International Studies Review vol. 9, no. 2 (summer 2007): 277-79. Click to view Terrorism and Political Violence vol. 19, no. 3 (September 2007): 434-35. Click to view Political Science Quarterly vol. 122, no. 3 (fall 2007): 517-18. Click to view Many experts believed that the Cold War's end would create a more peaceful world, where the sole superpower would prevent acts of international aggression or punish wrongdoers. The rapid U.S. response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait was taken as a sign of things to come. However, violent extremists and rogue states now operate in brazen defiance of international laws and norms. Why deterrence and other time-tested influence strategies have failed to prevent terrorism and the proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction is the subject Derek Smith tackles with impressive theoretical depth and empirical sweep. As the title suggests, Deterring America explains how new adversaries, which are aptly called suicide states, have been able to outplay the United States in a contest of wills and deterrence strategies. Students and scholars will find the book an excellent orientation to the new security environment, while security analysts and policymakers would do well to pay close attention to its thoughtful insights and recommendations. -Peter R. Lavoy, Naval Postgraduate School This is an important and major reassessment of deterrence in the age of WMDs. Smith's analysis of the challenges posed by "suicidal" states to America's deterrence and counter-proliferation strategies is excellent, as is his teasing out of a more nuanced strategy for America. Of particular interest is his analysis of Iraq and North Korea, and the lessons they portend for the United States and other "states of concern." -Yuen Foong Khong, Oxford University Deterrence emerged in an era of a relative stability between a handful of nuclear powers. Derek Smith's Deterring America adeptly reevaluates the utility of the concept in light of Iran and North Korea's continued interest in acquiring the bomb, the unraveling of A.Q. Khan's nuclear network, and the very real threat of a nuclear terrorist attack on the American homeland. -Graham Allison, Harvard University |