Arms and Influence

Originally published in 1966, this landmark book by Nobel laureate Thomas C. Schelling concentrates on how military capabilities – real or imagined – are used as bargaining power on the global stage. Schelling uses game theory in the context of international relations to explain the state actors’ behaviours and analyse international strategy, and among his key arguments is that the use of military might as a bargaining tool is, in fact, diplomacy: the diplomacy of violence. Considered a classic on nuclear strategy, this book is vital reading for anyone working in foreign policy, especially around issues of national and international security.