A new interpretation of the Cold War from the perspective of the smaller and middle powers in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Do alliances curb efforts by states to develop nuclear weapons? Atomic Assurance looks at what makes alliances sufficiently credible to prevent nuclear proliferation; how alliances can break down and so encourage nuclear proliferation; and whether security guarantors like the United States can use alliance ties to end the nuclear efforts of their allies. Alexander Lanoszka finds that military alliances are less useful in preventing allies from acquiring nuclear weapons than conventional wisdom suggests. Through intensive case studies of West Germany, Japan, and South Korea, as well as a series of smaller cases on Great Britain, France, Norway, Australia, and Taiwan, Atomic Assurance shows that it is easier to prevent an ally from initiating a nuclear program than to stop an ally that has already started one; in-theater conventional forces are crucial in making American nuclear guarantees credible; the American coercion of allies who started, or were tempted to start, a nuclear weapons program has played less of a role in forestalling nuclear proliferation than analysts have assumed; and the economic or technological reliance of a security-dependent ally on the United States works better to reverse or to halt that ally's nuclear bid than anything else. Crossing diplomatic history, international relations, foreign policy, grand strategy, and nuclear strategy, Lanoszka's book reworks our understanding of the power and importance of alliances in stopping nuclear proliferation.

In China, East Asia and the European Union specialist authors from both Europe and Asia reflect on the dynamic relationship between the three actors from an International Relations perspective. The book is a testimony to China s seemingly unstoppable rise, both in the East Asian region and in the relationship with the EU and its member states. The authors investigate why the economic links between the European Union and East Asia have become so firmly established, while in comparison the political bond has remained underdeveloped. They conclude that the crises the EU is currently facing seriously affect its manoeuvring space vis-a-vis China and its neighbours, both economically and politically. Contributors are: Ding Chun, Neil Duggan, Enrico Fardella, Frank Gaenssmantel, Tjalling Halbertsma, Daniel R Hammond, Jan van der Harst, Elisa Horhager, Jing Jing, Werner Pascha, Sanne Kamerling, David Kerr, Silja Keva, Christopher K. Lamont, Li Junyang, Feng Liu, Maaike Okano-Heijmans, Nadya Stoynova, and Herman Voogsgeerd."

This volume provides the first geographically and thematically comprehensive study of the evolution and current state of the national security and defence policies, strategies, doctrines, capabilities, and military operations, as well as the alliances and security partnerships, of European armed forces.

China’s rise and stepped-up involvement in Southeast Asia have prompted a blend of anticipation and unease among its smaller neighbors. The stunning growth of China has yanked up the region’s economies, but its militarization of the South China Sea and dam building on the Mekong River has nations wary about Beijing’s outsized ambitions. Southeast Asians long felt relatively secure, relying on the United States as a security hedge, but that confidence began to slip after the Trump administration launched a trade war with China and questioned the usefulness of traditional alliances. This compelling book provides a snapshot of ten countries in Southeast Asia by exploring their diverse experiences with China and how this impacts their perceptions of Beijing’s actions and its long-term political, economic, military, and “soft power” goals in the region.