That fear is not irrational. And until Western strategic debate honestly grapples with what U.S. and allied conventional capabilities look like from Beijing, no stable strategic relationship with China is achievable, and disarmament and arms control becomes even less likely.
mandag 30. mars 2026
What the West Misses About China’s Nuclear Build-up
Western strategists have spent years asking why China is expanding its nuclear arsenal. The answer they reach is usually the same: Beijing is seeking warfighting capability, regional dominance, or leverage over Taipei. The U.S. intelligence community’s 2024 Annual Threat Assessment offered a different explanation, one that deserves far more attention than it has received. China is expanding, it noted, because its leaders fear a U.S. first strike.
That fear is not irrational. And until Western strategic debate honestly grapples with what U.S. and allied conventional capabilities look like from Beijing, no stable strategic relationship with China is achievable, and disarmament and arms control becomes even less likely.
That fear is not irrational. And until Western strategic debate honestly grapples with what U.S. and allied conventional capabilities look like from Beijing, no stable strategic relationship with China is achievable, and disarmament and arms control becomes even less likely.