Strategic stability describes a state of affairs that aims to minimize all types of risks of deterrence failure.
It can be understood as a state in which the postures, capabilities and doctrines of nuclear-armed states do not incentivize the first-use of nuclear weapons in a crisis (crisis stability); in which those states have an assured retaliatory capability; and in which they do not improve their relative position by increasing strategic arsenals qualitatively or quantitatively (arms race stability). Strategic stability concerns not only the nuclear domain, but also space, cyber and advanced offensive and defensive conventional weapon systems.
During the Cold War, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev agreed “that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”
Today, this statement is once again relevant. It should serve as a reminder that strategic stability, if implemented correctly, can help stabilize international relations, and thus strengthen peace and security.
James M. Acton,
“Escalation through Entanglement”,
International Security, Vol. 43, No. 1, Summer 2018.
Andrey A. Baklitskiy,
“High-Precision Long-Range Conventional Systems and their Impact on Strategic Stability”,
PIR Center.
Andrey A. Baklitskiy, Tong Zhao and Alexandra Bell,
“To Reboot Arms Control, Start with Small Steps” - “Архитектура контроля над вооружениями разрушается на наших глазах”,
Kommersant, September 17th 2020.
Corentin Brustlein,
“Strategic Risk Reduction between Nuclear-Weapons Possessors”,
IFRI Proliferation Papers, No. 63, January 2021.
Samuel Charap, Alice Lynch, John J. Drennan, Dara Massicot, and Giacomo Persi Paoli,
“A New Approach to Conventional Arms Control in Europe: Addressing the Security Challenges of the 21st Century”,
RAND Research Report, 2020.
Han Hua,
“China’s proper role in the global nuclear order – A Chinese response”,
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, Vol. 73, Issue 2, March 4th 2017.
Sergei A. Karaganov, Dmitry V. Suslov,
“The New Understanding and Ways to Strengthen Multilateral Strategic Stability”,
Higher School of Economics National Research University Report, 2019.
Patricia M. Kim (ed.),
“Enhancing US-China Strategic Stability in an Era of Strategic Competition. US and Chinese Perspectives”,
United States Institute of Peace, Report No. 172, April 2021.
Heather Williams,
“Asymmetric arms control and strategic stability: Scenarios for limiting hypersonic glide vehicles”,
Journal of Strategic Studies, Vol. 42, August 22nd 2019.
Heather Williams,
“Remaining relevant: Why the NPT must address emerging technologies”,
King’s College London Report, August 2020.
Tong Zhao,
“Conventional Long-Range Strike Weapons of U.S. Allies and China’s Concerns of Strategic Instability”,
The Nonproliferation Review, September 14th 2020.
IFSH Hamburg,
“Sicherheitspolitik einfach erklärt. Drohnen und autonome Waffen - Fluch oder Segen?”, YouTube,
(video in German with English subtitles)
IFSH Hamburg,
“Sicherheitspolitik einfach erklärt. Was passiert, wenn eine Atombombe explodiert?”, YouTube,
(video in German with English subtitles)
IFSH Hamburg,
“Sicherheitspolitik einfach erklärt. Wettrüsten: Dunkle Vergangenheit oder aktuelle Gefahr?”, YouTube,
(video in German with English subtitles)
B-52H Stratofortress releasing flares over the Indian Ocean, Feb-19-2020, edited photo on base of license Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photo: Mizzoujp, Source
Joseph R. Biden, President Joseph R. Biden at the Pentagon, Feb-10-2021.
Photo: DoD / Lisa Ferdinando, Source
Vladimir V. Putin, President Vladimir V.Putin addresses the Federal Assembly, Jan-15-2020.
Photo: kremlin.ru, Source
Xi Jinping, President Xi Jinping reviews troops of the People's Liberation Army, Jun-30-2017.
Photo: Anthony Kwan / Bloomberg via Getty Images, Source
Missile combat crew on alert in underground launch control center, monitoring Minuteman ICBMs, Aug-18-2006.
Photo: United States Air Force, Source
Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers regarding DF-1 missile at Military Museum in Beijing, Dec-6-2004.
Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images, Source
Missile maintenance crewmen perform electrical check on a Minuteman III ICBM, Jan-1-1980.
Photo: DoD / Defense Visual Information Center, Source
1987, Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan sign INF Treaty, Dec-8-1987.
Photo: White House Photographic Office, Source
2011, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev sign New START Treaty, Apr-8-2010.
Photo: Getty Images, Source
2018/2019, DF-17 missile system, which can carry a hypersonic glide vehicle, at military parade in Beijing, Oct-1-2019.
Photo: Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images, Source
2019, U.S. flight test of a ground-launched cruise missile, Aug-18-2019.
Photo: Scott Howe, Source