Abstract
This chapter aims to identify key aspects of the nuclear revolution that are pertinent to the problem of power transition and peaceful change in international affairs. To this end, it elaborates on five primary institutions of global nuclear order: nuclear deterrence, nuclear arms control, nuclear nonproliferation, nuclear nonuse, and nuclear disarmament.
The chapter then unpacks the conceptual logic of these five institutions in the context of peaceful and violent change in world politics and explores their mutual linkages and conflicts. It highlights both the limits of these institutions and their inherent incompatibilities, mindful of the extraordinary violence nuclear war can cause and the underlying fear that prevents nuclear powers from engaging in reckless behavior.