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MICHAEL MccGWIRE, Comfort blanket or weapon of war: what is Trident for?, International Affairs, Volume 82, Issue 4, July 2006, Pages 639–650, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2346.2006.00559.x
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Abstract
A hangover from the Cold War, Britain's nuclear capability has acquired a totemic quality and, in some unexplained way, is expected to shield us from unspecified dangers. There has been no serious attempt at cost—benefit analysis and such as there is ignores opportunity costs: policies or procurement foregone. The most important are political and the more significant—the things Britain could do or achieve if it did not have a nuclear capability—relate to our role in the world and, more specifically, to the NPT. This is a national issue which does not depend on international negotiations or agreement. In drawing conclusions, the article therefore ignores the larger question of whether the global elimination of nuclear weapons is both desirable and feasible. This international issue is addressed in a separate final section.
