Reactions from the Next Generation

The Fragile Balance of Terror, edited by Vipin Narang and Scott Sagan, outlines the rising nuclear risks associated with arms racing between the United States, Russia, and China; crisis escalation; and nuclear proliferation. It paints the picture of an evolving and potentially destabilizing nuclear balance. At the outset Narang and Sagan offer a harrowing observation: “We are unprepared for it.” The Fragile Balance of Terror includes analyses of multipolar deterrence, the impact of social media on crisis escalation, nuclear survivability, and command and control, among many others. 

As a follow-on to The Fragile Balance of Terror, the Project on Nuclear Issues (PONI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies invited eight early- and mid-career experts to offer their reflections on the volume’s chapters and conclusions. These rising voices outline a landscape of uncertainty that they will confront throughout their careers. Their reflections are succinct and insightful and point to specific trends contributing to nuclear uncertainty that raise challenging questions for policymakers and scholars alike. While much of the nuclear policy community is focused on the challenges of a return to great power competition and how to deter two peer competitors and reassure allies, as these next generation experts highlight, The Fragile Balance of Terror is a timely reminder of the wider nuclear landscape and the new complexities of nuclear deterrence.