STEPHEN J. CIMBALA is Professor of Political Science at Penn State University, Delaware County. He has contributed to the literature of international relations and U.S. security and defense policy for more than 20 years, and he has written or edited more than 30 books. Among his latest publications are Collective Insecurity (Greenwood, 1995) and Clinton and Post-Cold War Defense (Praeger, 1996). In addition, Cimbala serves on the editorial review boards of several journals, including Armed Forces and Society.

Introduction
Relating Nuclear Weapons to American Power by George H. Quester
Rethinking Deterrence: A New Logic to Meet 21st Century Challenges by Lewis A. Dunn
Post-Cold War Nuclear Scenarios: Implications for a New Strategic Calculus by James Scouras
Russian-American Nuclear Stability Issues: Opportunities and Risks in the 21st Century by Frederic S. Nyland
Proliferation and Pragmatism: Nonproliferation Policy for the Twenty-first Century by William C. Martel
Triage of Triads: Does the U.S. Really Need Three Strategic Retaliatory Forces? by Stephen J. Cimbala
Conclusion by Stephen J. Cimbala

This edited collection considers the future of nuclear weapons in world politics in terms of security issues that are important for U.S. and other policy makers. The spread of nuclear weapons also is related to the equally dangerous proliferation of other weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological weapons, and of ballistic missiles of medium and longer ranges.
Cold War studies of nuclear weapons emphasized the U.S.-Soviet relationship, deterrence, and bilateral arms control. A less structured post-Cold War world will require more nuanced appreciation of the diversity of roles that nuclear weapons might play in the hands of new nuclear states or non-state actors. As the essays suggest as well, the possibility of terrorism by means of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction introduces other uncertainties into military and policy planning. An important analysis for scholars, students, and researchers involved with defense, security, and foreign policy studies.