The Cool War - Sean M. Maloney

Sean Maloney reveals how Vladimir Putin has aggressively leveraged nuclear signaling to manipulate NATO and deter Western intervention in Ukraine. With Cold War–level brinkmanship and modern information warfare, Russia’s tactics have reshaped the strategic landscape—and raised urgent questions about how long the West can hold the line. Nuclear signaling is defined as the deliberate maneuvering of nuclear forces to deter and influence an adversary’s actions. Author Sean Maloney shows how Russian leader Vladimir Putin has systematically employed nuclear signaling to force desired behavior from both NATO and the United States. This strategy has escalated greatly during the Russo-Ukraine War as Putin seeks to deter Western intervention and support of Ukraine.    Putin uses many forms of nuclear signaling, including ordering jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons to fly in western European airspace, staging a joint bomber exercise with China near Alaska, and instructing submarines carrying nuclear weapons to surface through the Arctic icepack. The frequency of this signaling far exceeds that of similar activity during the Cold War and has escalated to more dangerous levels than before. When Russia experienced setbacks on the battlefield, Putin often intensified his nuclear-force posturing by paring it with thinly veiled threats to use tactical nuclear weapons.  Maloney argues convincingly that in the post–Cold War era, Putin has skillfully combined his use of nuc
více informací