"Goldstein's excellent book helps explain why three very different countries--Britain, France, and China--all sought an independent nuclear deterrent despite, and, perhaps, because of their security alliances with nuclear superpowers. This accessible and well-crafted work will be useful not only to diplomatic historians and international relations theorists, but also to policy analysts who are examining why certain relatively weak states are currently pursuing the nuclear option."--Thomas Christensen, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"Avery Goldstein's book, Deterrence and Security in the 21st Century: China, Britain, France, and the Enduring Legacy of the Nuclear Revolution, provides a well-written and historically grounded look at the likely nature of emerging nuclear security relationships. . . . Goldstein's book makes a subtantial contribution to the existing security literature. . . . Goldstein's insights . . . have great applicability for understanding post-Cold War security dynamics and similar patterns shaping the behavior of both new nuclear states and would-be nulcear states"--International Politics

1. Introduction; 2. Theoretical foundation; 3. China: strategic choices: 4. China: nuclear deterrent; 5. Britain; 6. France; 7. Nuclear weapons states in the post-Cold War world; 8. Legacy of the nuclear revolution for the twenty-first century.