January 1, 2008
"Correspondence: Do Small Arsenals Deter?"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 3, volume 32
By Ward Wilson, Rajesh M. Basrur and Michael D. Cohen
Rajesh Basrur and Michael Cohen respond to Ward Wilson's Spring 2007 International Security article, "The Winning Weapon? Rethinking Nuclear Weapons in Light of Hiroshima."
Spring 2007
"The Winning Weapon? Rethinking Nuclear Weapons in Light of Hiroshima"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 4, volume 31
By Ward Wilson
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 , and the Japanese surrender that followed, have been crucial in shaping scholars' and decisionmakers' views of the influence of nuclear weapons on policymaking. New research from Japanese, Soviet, and U.S. archives, suggests, however, that Hiroshima may have played virtually no role in ending the war in the Pacific. Rather, the Soviet Union 's declaration of war against Japan on August 9 and subsequent invasion of Manchuria convinced the Japanese leadership of the need to surrender. This reappraisal could have a profound impact on how nuclear weapons will be perceived in the future.
