{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140815"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140815","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Maintaining Nuclear Stability in the Wake of a Strained Liberal Order","abstract":"The liberal order that has defined the last eighty years of history is undergoing a major shift. The United States has long been the tradition-maker of the order, and the consensus leader since the end of the Cold War. This, however, is changing as American domestic policy turns inward and has lost the domestic reliability that allowed the current order to blossom. The nuclear nonproliferation regime coevolved with the liberal order, and as the order moves away from American hegemony, the nonproliferation regime, as an institution of the liberal order, is also evolving. Unlike other institutions that may decline or disappear as multipolarity emerges, certain aspects of the nuclear nonproliferation regime must remain. To do this, nuclear states should continue to encourage an environment of nonproliferation by providing a reinforced security umbrella and supporting state access to peaceful nuclear energy programs. Additionally, current global leaders should reinforce commitments to non-first-use policies that prevent the need for others to obtain second-strike capabilities. These principles, which are essential to the existence of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and have underpinned the success of the liberal order, much remain intact as the world shifts into an era of increasing multipolarity.","abstract_html":"The liberal order that has defined the last eighty years of history is undergoing a major shift. The United States has long been the tradition-maker of the order, and the consensus leader since the end of the Cold War. This, however, is changing as American domestic policy turns inward and has lost the domestic reliability that allowed the current order to blossom. The nuclear nonproliferation regime coevolved with the liberal order, and as the order moves away from American hegemony, the nonproliferation regime, as an institution of the liberal order, is also evolving. Unlike other institutions that may decline or disappear as multipolarity emerges, certain aspects of the nuclear nonproliferation regime must remain. To do this, nuclear states should continue to encourage an environment of nonproliferation by providing a reinforced security umbrella and supporting state access to peaceful nuclear energy programs. Additionally, current global leaders should reinforce commitments to non-first-use policies that prevent the need for others to obtain second-strike capabilities. These principles, which are essential to the existence of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and have underpinned the success of the liberal order, much remain intact as the world shifts into an era of increasing multipolarity.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wiltsee, Alexandra Marie"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Political Science","degree_department":"Political Science","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Avey, Paul C."],"committee_members":["Reeves, Audrey","Dixit, Priya"],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-01-14","date_published":"2026-01-14","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:42Z","subjects":["Global Order","Liberal International Order","Nonproliferation Regime","Nuclear Weapons"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:45627"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:45627","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140815","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Avey, Paul C."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Reeves, Audrey","Dixit, Priya"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Political Science"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wiltsee, Alexandra Marie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-15T09:01:14Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-01-15T09:01:14Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-01-14"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Political Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Global Order","Liberal International Order","Nonproliferation Regime","Nuclear Weapons"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:45627"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140815"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The liberal order that has defined the last eighty years of history is undergoing a major shift. The United States has long been the tradition-maker of the order, and the consensus leader since the end of the Cold War. This, however, is changing as American domestic policy turns inward and has lost the domestic reliability that allowed the current order to blossom. The nuclear nonproliferation regime coevolved with the liberal order, and as the order moves away from American hegemony, the nonproliferation regime, as an institution of the liberal order, is also evolving. Unlike other institutions that may decline or disappear as multipolarity emerges, certain aspects of the nuclear nonproliferation regime must remain. To do this, nuclear states should continue to encourage an environment of nonproliferation by providing a reinforced security umbrella and supporting state access to peaceful nuclear energy programs. Additionally, current global leaders should reinforce commitments to non-first-use policies that prevent the need for others to obtain second-strike capabilities. These principles, which are essential to the existence of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and have underpinned the success of the liberal order, much remain intact as the world shifts into an era of increasing multipolarity."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["The world has experienced zero nuclear incidents since the United States detonated two nuclear bombs in Japan at the end of World War II. This peace has been largely due to the rules that have guided states with nuclear weapons and certain principles that most nuclear states follow. These rules have been developed as a part of the broader international order, led by the United States, and exist in support of how states function within the global system. This system, however, is shifting away from the United States' leadership, and questions remain about how nuclear stability will look in the future. In order to maintain nuclear peace, policy should focus on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and limiting the reasons for new states to seek the protection of nuclear weapons."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Arts"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Maintaining Nuclear Stability in the Wake of a Strained Liberal Order"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Avey, Paul C."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Reeves, Audrey","Dixit, Priya"],"dc:contributor.department":["Political Science"],"dc:creator":["Wiltsee, Alexandra Marie"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-15T09:01:14Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-01-15T09:01:14Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-01-14"],"dc:description.abstract":["The liberal order that has defined the last eighty years of history is undergoing a major shift. The United States has long been the tradition-maker of the order, and the consensus leader since the end of the Cold War. This, however, is changing as American domestic policy turns inward and has lost the domestic reliability that allowed the current order to blossom. The nuclear nonproliferation regime coevolved with the liberal order, and as the order moves away from American hegemony, the nonproliferation regime, as an institution of the liberal order, is also evolving. Unlike other institutions that may decline or disappear as multipolarity emerges, certain aspects of the nuclear nonproliferation regime must remain. To do this, nuclear states should continue to encourage an environment of nonproliferation by providing a reinforced security umbrella and supporting state access to peaceful nuclear energy programs. Additionally, current global leaders should reinforce commitments to non-first-use policies that prevent the need for others to obtain second-strike capabilities. These principles, which are essential to the existence of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and have underpinned the success of the liberal order, much remain intact as the world shifts into an era of increasing multipolarity."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["The world has experienced zero nuclear incidents since the United States detonated two nuclear bombs in Japan at the end of World War II. This peace has been largely due to the rules that have guided states with nuclear weapons and certain principles that most nuclear states follow. These rules have been developed as a part of the broader international order, led by the United States, and exist in support of how states function within the global system. This system, however, is shifting away from the United States' leadership, and questions remain about how nuclear stability will look in the future. In order to maintain nuclear peace, policy should focus on preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and limiting the reasons for new states to seek the protection of nuclear weapons."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Arts"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:45627"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140815"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Global Order","Liberal International Order","Nonproliferation Regime","Nuclear Weapons"],"dc:title":["Maintaining Nuclear Stability in the Wake of a Strained Liberal Order"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Political Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:42Z"}