Arms and Influence explores the complex relationship between technology, policymaking, and international norms. Modern technological innovations such as the atomic bomb, armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and advanced reconnaissance satellites have fostered debates about the boundaries of international norms and legitimate standards of behavior. These advances allow governments new opportunities for action around the world and have, in turn, prompted a broader effort to redefine international standards in areas such as self-defense, sovereignty, and preemptive strikes. In this book, Jeffrey S. Lantis develops a new theory of norm change and identifies its stages, including redefinition (involving domestic political deliberations) and constructive norm substitution (in multilateral institutions). He deftly takes some of the most controversial new developments in military technologies and embeds them in international relations theory. The case evidence he presents suggests that periods of change are underway across numerous different issue areas. "In Arms and Influence , Lantis offers a novel approach to understanding norm change that is rooted in technological innovation. This book is a solid contribution to literature on international security, and will spur new research and debate into the interrelationship of technological and normative change." -- James W. Davis ― University of St. Gallen "Overall, the book is very interesting to read, from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. It raises a number of provocative ideas, particularly in regard to the notion of the dynamics of norms and how actors in the international system might move from one norm to another. The author should also be commended for organization and clarity. For a book on technological innovation, it is not overly jargon-laden...The book, therefore, is appropriate for and will interest both students and scholars who are interested in norms, international security, technology, and the role of hegemonic, if not great power, states. Such readers are likely to find much to reflect on by the conclusion of the book." -- John Sislin ― H-War "Through rigorous case study analysis, Jeffrey Lantis demonstrates the manner in which technological advances spur U.S. elites to review, modify, or replace international norms of appropriate behavior in the security realm. An important contribution to the critical constructivist understanding of normative change―and stasis." -- Shirley Scott ― UNSW Australia "[T]his is a theoretically rigorous and stimulating book, which will interest scholars of constructivism, international norm regimes and American foreign policy." -- Emil Archambault ― Political Studies Review Jeffrey S. Lantis is Professor of Political Science at The College of Wooster. Arms and Influence U.S. Technology Innovation and the Evolution of International Security Norms By Jeffrey S. Lantis STANFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS Copyright © 2016 Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8047-9977-5 Contents List of Acronyms, Acknowledgments, 1. Introduction, 2. Theorizing Norm Change, 3. The Atom Bomb: Constructing a Nuclear Order, 4. Atoms for Peace? New Nuclear Technology Export Controls, 5. Satellites and Sovereignty: Humanitarian Intervention and the "Responsibility to Protect", 6. Armed UAVs and the Norm against Assassination of Foreign Adversaries, 7. The Final Frontier? Weaponizing Space, 8. Conclusion, Notes, Bibliography, Index, CHAPTER 1 Introduction America's capabilities are unique. And the power of the new technologies means that there are fewer and fewer technical constraints on what we can do. That places a special obligation on us to ask tough questions about what we should do. — Barack Obama Politics will, to the end of history, be an area where conscience and power meet, where the ethical and coercive factors of human life will interpenetrate and work out their tentative and uneasy compromises. — Reinhold Niebuhr IN AUGUST 1945, PRESIDENT HARRY TRUMAN announced the United States had developed a revolutionary new weapon, the atomic bomb, through a secret research program known as the Manhattan Project. He said the bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima, effectively destroying "its usefulness to the enemy." Truman hailed the Manhattan Project as "the greatest scientific gamble in history" and expressed optimism that atomic energy could become "a forceful influence toward the maintenance of world peace." However, the heavy responsibilities associated with the ultimate weapon soon generated significant controversy in the halls of power. Some cabinet members and scientists proposed forsaking the bomb and transferring all nuclear technologies to an international regulatory authority, while others argued the United States should seize the advantages provided by the weapons before others acquired them. Two decades later, Presi