The Revolution that Failed

'The nuclear weapons competition between the United States and the Soviet Union was a key driver in the Cold War; but how well do we understand this dynamic? The Revolution That Failed offers a powerful and convincing challenge to the long-held status quo view regarding the causes of nuclear competition. Based on deep research in primary materials, Green brilliantly demonstrates the efforts by the United States to seek nuclear advantage. This study overturns much of what we thought we knew about the politics of arms control, with profound consequences for how we understand our nuclear dilemmas. It promises to become the standard work on this crucial subject.' Francis J. Gavin, Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University 'The Revolution that Failed presents a sophisticated and compelling challenge to the widely held belief that nuclear weapons revolutionized international politics. Anyone interested in understanding the incentives that drove the arms race during the Cold War should read this book.' John J. Mearsheimer, Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago 'With sophisticated theorizing and painstaking research, Green shows that, during the Cold War, American leaders did not accept the dogma of Mutual Assured Destruction. Instead, they sought weapons that could be used to out compete the USSR and produce the best possible military outcome in the event of war. This is a major achievement that alters our understanding of the Soviet-American interaction and the role of nuclear weapons.' Robert Jervis, author of The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution and How Statesmen Think 'This brilliant book combines new theoretical perspectives and empirical insights to explain nuclear competition between the superpowers during the late Cold War.' Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, Journal of Peace Research