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  • © 2018

Trust in Nuclear Disarmament Verification

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Offers new empirical research on an underexplored area of international security

  • Highlights the challenges in verifying nuclear disarmament

  • Demonstrates the importance of human factors in verification

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
  2. Introduction

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 1-17
  3. Verification in the Nuclear Arena: Nature, Significance and Practice

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 19-49
  4. Nuclear Warhead Dismantlement Verification: Opportunities and Challenges

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 51-74
  5. The Human Side of Verification: Trust and Confidence

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 75-97
  6. Simulating Disarmament Verification: Design and Methods

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 99-119
  7. Trust and Verification: Empirical Insights

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 121-148
  8. Conclusion: Looking to the Future

    • Wyn Q. Bowen, Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran
    Pages 149-154
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 155-176

About this book

This book explores how human factors, in particular the contested notion of trust, influence the conduct and practice of arms control verification.

In the nuclear arena, disarmament verification is often viewed purely in terms of a dispassionate, scientific process. Yet this view is fundamentally flawed since the technical impossibility of 100 per cent verification opens the door to a host of complex issues and questions regarding the process and its outcomes. Central among these is the fact that those involved in any verification inspection process must inevitably conduct their work in a space that falls well short of absolute certainty. The lines between scientific enquiry and human psychology can become blurred and outcomes have the potential to be influenced by perceptions. 

Drawing on extensive empirical evidence, the authors explore the complex interplay between evidence-based judgements and perceptions of intentions that frames the science of verification. The book provides new insights into the role and influence of human factors in the verification process, shedding light on this ‘blind spot’ of verification research. It is an invaluable resource for practitioners, academics and students working in arms control and disarmament.

Reviews

“The book successfully explores a unique, understudied aspect of the verification process. The authors clearly articulate the influences of human factors in the process, and the simulations they conducted provide substantial insights into those influences, supporting the overall conclusions.” (Steven Brunts, H-Net Reviews Humanities and Social Sciences, January, 2020)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Head, School of Security Studies, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Wyn Q. Bowen

  • Centre for Science and Security Studies, Department of War Studies, School of Security Studies, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom

    Hassan Elbahtimy, Christopher Hobbs, Matthew Moran

About the authors

Professor Wyn Bowen is Head of the School of Security Studies at King’s College London. He is author of Living on the Edge: Iran and the Practice of Nuclear Hedging (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) 

Dr Hassan Elbahtimy is a Post-Doctoral Researcher within the Centre for Science and Security Studies. He was previously a Senior Researcher at VERTIC and worked on the Arms Control Desk of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 

Dr Christopher Hobbs is Co-Director of the Centre for Science and Security Studies and a Reader in Science and Security in the War Studies Department at King’s College London. He is author of Exploring Regional Responses to a Nuclear Iran: Nuclear Dominoes? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) and editor of Open Source Intelligence in the Twenty-First Century: New Approaches and Challenges (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014) 

Matthew Moran is Co-Director of the Centre for Science and Security Studies and a Reader in International Security in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He is author of Living on the Edge: Iran and the Practice of Nuclear Hedging (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) and Exploring Regional Responses to a Nuclear Iran: Nuclear Dominoes? (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access