ABSTRACT

By the early 1960s, Schelling’s work on stability was dominated by the concern to deter general war in the thermonuclear age. At that time, other leading strategic thinkers, including Brodie and Wohlstetter, were interested in this same sort of stability in response to the same set of strategic challenges. But Schelling’s work remained notable for its distinct approach to even this dominant form of stability. This chapter therefore establishes the main sources and components of this stability consensus as a basis from which to assess the uniqueness of Schelling’s strategic thinking.