| ID | 168564 |
| Title Proper | Defending the “Acquisition-Use Presumption” in Assessing the Likelihood of Nuclear Terrorism |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Bell, Mark S |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | In an important article, McIntosh and Storey (2018) challenge the “acquisition-use presumption” that a terrorist organization with a nuclear weapon would inevitably seek to detonate it in an attack. They argue that a terrorist organization with nuclear weapons has more attractive options than conducting a direct nuclear attack, that organizational politics mean that a terrorist organization with a nuclear weapon would be unlikely to seek to detonate it, and that a nuclear attack would escalate the threats the terrorist organization faced. I argue that these arguments are ultimately unpersuasive and that the acquisition-use presumption remains a valid basis for theorizing about the likelihood of nuclear terrorism. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Studies Quarterly Vol. 63, No.3; Sep 2019: p. 774–778 |
| Journal Source | International Studies Quarterly Vol: 63 No 3 |
| Key Words | Nuclear Terrorism |