Public opinion, commitment traps and nuclear weapons policy

Abstract

It is widely believed by policymakers and scholars alike that a deep aversion against the use of nuclear weapons has taken hold around the world in the years since 1945. Indeed, many have even referred to the existence of a "nuclear taboo". Unfortunately, we lack empirical evidence about the strength of such "antinuclear instincts" and the conditions under which they might or might not operate in the U.S. public and in other nations.