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ON THE USES OF POWER IN THE NUCLEAR AGE by Klaus Knorr

ON THE USES OF POWER IN THE NUCLEAR AGE

By

Publisher: Princeton Univ. Press

This essay published for the Princeton Center of International Studies gravely suffers from a wearying Germanic style, jargon-heavy terminology, and an addiction to superfluous comments (""International relations in the 1960's differ in many ways from the international relations of the 1900's or even the 1920's and 1930's. For one thing, the international system is more complex...""). No doubt, in the prestigious academic circles concerned with cold war problems it will seem an impressive and judicious contribution. And certainly Professor Knorr's expertise, the intimidating referential apparatus, and the microscopic familiarity with questions of security, nuclear proliferation, ""sub-limited war,"" alliances and balancing acts, can hardly be faulted. Nevertheless, perhaps due to the nature of the undertaking an examination of ""trends,"" concepts, hypotheses-the discussion tends to be rather remote, or strictly for insiders, like a laboratory experiment. As far as can be fathomed, the author contends that the present power technology is ""incompatible with security under the existing international order,"" a conclusion at variance with the French theorist, General Beaufre, whose recent Deterrence Strategy briskly states that ""it is the risk of nuclear conflict which keeps the peace so stable.