Deterrence is a theory of International relations based in Realism. Essentially, it tries to explain the situation of when two or more states threaten retaliation if attacked, in order to deter the attack. It is therefore possible to very simply state deterrence as "You hit me, I hit you." For this essay, two main questions have to be addressed, ‘Has it worked?’ and ‘Does it make sense?’ To answer these questions, I will firstly define …showed first 75 words of 2914 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2914 total…works whilst everyone believes in it. Theoretically it is irrational and based on emotions of revenge and so does not make much sense in the realist perspective to which it is set. Bibliography. Calvocoressi, P. World Politics Since 1945. 6th edition. Longman. London. 1991 Finnis, Boyle and Grised. Nuclear Deterrence, Morality and Realism. Clarendon Press. Oxford. 1989 Hedley Bull. The Anarchical Society. 2nd edition. Macmillan. London. 1995 Kegley and Wittkopf. World Politics. 5th edition. St. Martins Press. New York. 1995