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Author
Dr. Stephen J. Cimbala
Distinguished Professor
Penn State Brandywine
Stephen J. Cimbala is Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Penn State Brandywine, an American Studies faculty member and is the acclaimed author of numerous books and articles in the fields of international security studies, defense policy, nuclear weapons and arms control, intelligence and other fields. Some of his latest books include US National Security: Policymakers, Processes, and Politics (with John Allen Williams and Sam C. Sarkesian, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2022); The United States, Russia and Nuclear Peace (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020); Nuclear Deterrence in a Multipolar World: The U.S., Russia and Security Challenges (Routledge, 2019); The Technology, Strategy and Politics of SDI (Routledge, 2019); Getting Nuclear Weapons Right: Managing Danger and Avoiding Disaster (Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2018); and Nuclear Deterrence in a Multipolar World: The U.S., Russia and Security Challenges (Routledge, 2016). Dr. Cimbala serves on the editorial boards of various professional journals, has consulted for a number of U.S. government agencies and defense contractors, and is frequently quoted in the media on national security topics. He has taught courses in international relations, comparative politics, national security policy, U.S. intelligence, political thought and other topics. He is a past recipient of Penn State’s Eisenhower Award for excellence in teaching.
Publications by Dr. Stephen J. Cimbala
- With New START lapsed, a post-treaty framework will have to accommodate China as a third nuclear superpower. Using 2026 force data and exchange simulations, this Issue Brief finds that all three powers could hold assured retaliation within New START-style ceilings — and that missile defences would have to be near-perfect to change that conclusion.
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- Commentary
Although the expiration of the New START agreement and rising doubts about the utility of arms control have become apparent, abandoning discussions on further arms agreements will be a strategically shortsighted. Although the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Russian modernisation of its nuclear forces and increasing military cooperation between Moscow and Beijing have added to the threat environment, a fully uncontrolled nuclear arms race will lead to mistrust and escalate the chances of nuclear escalation.
