National Military Strategy in the Post Cold War Era: Nuclear Deterrence or an Alternative

In the aftermath of the Cold War it becomes necessary to explore the validity of nuclear deterrence as the cornerstone of the United States National Military Strategy for the upcoming period of transition in international relations. Using the current world situation as a starting point, the evolving trends in international relations, arms control and nuclear proliferation, the strategic threat and the evolution of technology will be analyzed in an effort to forecast the complexion of international relations twenty years hence. Then, within this context, nuclear deterrence and a non nuclear alternative nonoffensive defense, proposed by the Danish political scientist, Bjorn Moller, will be examined. In the final analysis, this project will suggest an appropriate direction for the evolution of the United States National Military Strategy which, in the opinion of the author, provides the best probability for long term world peace.