Rituals in Nuclear Statecraft: Conjuring Conformity, Cohesion, and Cooperation

Nuclear statecraft is often seen as a field of policy characterized by hyper-rationality and icy reserve. Yet the practices that make it up are shot through with symbolic imagery and ritualistic behavior. Seeking to advance the nascent literature on ritual in world politics, this article offers an investigation into the origins and functions of central rites in nuclear policy practice. Arguing that rituals can help conjure conformity, cohesion, and cooperation in contexts where credibility is scarce and preferences are at loggerheads, I explore how rituals are deployed to overcome key problems in nuclear statecraft, including the challenge of maintaining obedience throughout the nuclear chain of command, the imperative of securing international buy-in for controversial policies, and the difficulties associated with facilitating structured communication between adversarial states. To do so, I examine three empirical cases: Russian nuclear deterrence practice, NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, and multilateral nuclear disarmament diplomacy at the UN.