Description
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union transitioned from stockpiling thousands of nuclear warheads to advocating arms control and global disarmament simultaneously reducing its nuclear arsenal. This represents a crucial moment in nuclear history that requires further examination if we are to continue working towards nuclear disarmament and arms control now. Russian invasion of Ukraine further essentializes the importance of strengthening disarmament efforts and continuing to pursue international dialogue on arms control. Explanations based on the rational deterrence are self-fulfilling - if states must arm to defend, then we are stuck in never ending security dilemmas. This paper emphasizes the significance of ideas, beliefs, and identity to states’ nuclear policy. Drawing on a poststructuralist gender-mindful discourse analytical approach, it explores the constructions of Soviet nuclear identity and policy during the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev. It argues that the construction and reinforcement of an ethical, cooperative, peace-loving, and paternalistic nuclear identity opens spaces for progressive change in nuclear politics. Our approaches to the politics of global disarmament cannot be solely based on deflating the security value of nuclear weapons. Deconstructing the traditional masculine notions attached to nuclear weaponry is also essential for implementing change.
