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Crisis and regime change : the nuclear nonproliferation regime and the challenge from nuclear terrorism

An indirect crisis, the terrorist attacks of September 1 1 , is used as a catalyst to review the tasks of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Regime. However, it is insufficient to initiate a comprehensive change to the regime to incorporate the challenge from non-state nuclear terrorism. There will not be a change of regime, understood in terms of principles and norms. Yet, potential for change within the regime exists, with regard to rules and procedures. This is demonstrated by analysing the organisational and state levels of the regime through a synthesis of rationalist and weak-cognitivist assumptions. The organisational level is more adaptable in light of new information and more susceptible to change. Two factors limit this change. Member states will handle issues arising from the crisis outside the venue of the regime. Also, consensual knowledge among actors remains key for significant change to occur. An indirect crisis lacks the force to cultivate an epistemic community able to promote such knowledge among decision-makers.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.19639
Date January 2003
CreatorsThompson, Jean-Philippe
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Department of Political Science)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 002022520, Theses scanned by McGill Library.

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