The advance of deterrence theory in the last half century has been remarkable and was shaped by the major events that took place in international politics. By integrating theoretical and empirical issues, the course aims to discuss the way in which the strategy of deterrence was developed and the way it was practiced in different regions of the world and vis-à-vis different kinds of threats. More specifically, the course discusses the implementation of the strategy of deterrence from the nuclear threats of the Cold War, through conventional deterrence, to dealings with 'new' threats that are receiving more attention nowadays, such as deterring rogue states, terrorists, eruption of violent ethnic conflicts and information warfare.