Why do some states acquire nuclear weapons whereas others do not?

One of the major unsolved puzzles of international relations (IR) theory remains the question of why only some states acquire nuclear weapons, whereas others abstain from those activities (or even renounce them). As the picture of nuclear proliferation appears to be more complex and less clear-cut than is often assumed, traditional theoretical approaches to international security fail to provide a comprehensive answer. Instead nuclear proliferation is commonly traced back to vague security dilemmas, unspecified domestic forces or clandestine bureaucratic interests.
The aim of my research is therefore to elaborate a theoretically more ambitious and practically useful understanding of the "causes" - motives, reasons, objectives or purposes - behind both nuclear acquisition and restraint. Drawing on the sociological and social-psychological contributions made by American Pragmatism, I try to uncover the social-political dynamics that bring about the intersubjective establishment of shared meanings which in turn prepare the ground for succeeding armaments/ policy decisions. In a final step I will then sketch what the theoretical and empirical findings of my study imply for a contemporary approach to arms control.

Auslandsaufenthalt im Rahmen der Dissertation