Theory that war is deterred because each side knows that the other possesses large numbers of nuclear weapons and thus understands the dire consequences of initiating a nuclear exchange
The development and maintenance of military strength for the purpose of discouraging attack
Measures taken in order to scare or intimidate in order to create a negative influence that will thwart possible aggressive actions
the act or process of discouraging actions or preventing occurrences by instilling fear or doubt or anxiety
A strategy of punishment associated with the Classical School Deterrence can either be specific, punishing an individual so that she won't commit a crime again, or general, punishing an individual to set an example to society, so that others will not commit the same crime For the Classical School, punishment was primarily justified in terms of general deterrence See also Retribution, Rehabilitation, and Incapacitation
The actions of a state or group of states to dissuade a potential adversary from initiating an attack or conflict by the threat of retaliation Deterrence should credibly demonstrate to an adversary that the costs of an attack would be too great and would outweigh any potential gains
Deterrence is the prevention of something, especially war or crime, by having something such as weapons or punishment to use as a threat. policies of nuclear deterrence. Military strategy whereby one power uses the threat of reprisal to preclude an attack from an adversary. The term largely refers to the basic strategy of the nuclear powers and the major alliance systems. The premise is that each nuclear power maintains a high level of instant and overwhelming destructive capability against any aggressor. It relies on two basic conditions: the ability to retaliate after a surprise attack must be perceived as credible, and retaliation must be perceived as a possibility, if not a certainty