Eternal Hunger: A Qualitative Analysis of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and its Role as a Driver of the New Nuclear Arms Race
Date
2024
Authors
Zupo, Dominic
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The emergence of a new Cold War and the arms racing it brings has captured the attention of the globe. To understand the drivers of the new global tension the current discourse has overwhelmingly looked to great power politics for explanations. A dominant narrative has emerged that frames the United States as a superpower in decline currently facing increasingly aggressive challenges from China. This study directly challenges that narrative by investigating the role of nuclear weapons laboratories as the possible key driver of this new era of nuclear arms racing and proliferation. Specifically, this thesis uses process tracing and organization theory to explain how Lawrence Livermore National laboratories developed an organizational ethos that sought to master its resource dependence by pursuing influence over the policy that controls the distribution of the resources it seeks. This thesis argues that in doing so Lawrence Livermore acts as a driver of arms racing and in turn the new Cold War.
Description
Keywords
Nuclear, Nuclear Weapons, New Cold War, Military Industrial Complex, Lawrence Livermore