Red China's "capitalist bomb"

The author examines why China developed and tested an enhanced radiation weapon (ERW) but did not deploy it. He uses primary source documents to reconstruct the ERW program's history, assesses drivers behind decisions throughout the program, and considers broader implications for PRC decision making on weapons development. He concludes that the ERW coalition's rise and fall, the "principles" approach employed by the weaponeers, and the final decision to added the ERW to China's 'technology reserve' present plausible explanations to key questions. He also considers how the 'technology reserve' model might apply to China's decision-making on current ballistic missile defense (BMD), antisatellite (ASAT), and hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) programs.