Nuclear weapons Books

Book SynopsisTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION BY RICHARD RHODES PREFACE BY ROBERT SERBER The Los Alamos Primer 1 Object 2 Energy of Fission Process 3 Fast Neutron Chain Reaction 4 Fission Cross-sections 5 Neutron Spectrum 6 Neutron Number 7 Neutron Capture 8 Why Ordinary U Is Safe 9 Material 49 10 Simplest Estimate of Minimum Size of Bomb 11 Effect of Tamper 12 Damage 13 Efficiency 14 Effect of Tamper on Efficiency 15 Detonation 16 Probability of Predetonation 17 Fizzles 18 Detonating Source 19 Neutron Background 20 Shooting 21 Autocatalytic Methods 22 Conclusion ENDNOTES APPENDIX I: THE FRISCH-PEIERLS MEMORANDUM APPENDIX II: BIOG Index

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Book SynopsisIn 2017, North Korea shocked the world: test-flying a missile capable of reaching the US, exploding the most powerful nuclear device tested anywhere in a quarter-century, and declaring its nuclear deterrent complete. Today, Kim Jong Un’s growing nuclear stockpile represents a grave threat to international security. But this programme means more to him than world glory. State propaganda calls it the ‘treasured sword’: Kim is determined to keep ruling, and he sees his nukes as the key to regime survival. Kim Jong Un and the Bomb explores the history of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development, its present power, and the prospects of containing Kim’s arsenal. This book confronts us with a nuclear-armed North Korea that is not going anywhere, and reveals what this means for the US, South Korea and the world. Ankit Panda is an award-winning writer and international security expert. He is Adjunct Senior Fellow in the Defense Posture Project at the Federation of American Scientists, and a senior editor at The Diplomat. He lives in New York.Trade Review‘[Panda’s] deeply informed book explains as much as is publicly known about how Pyongyang developed nuclear weapons.’ -- Foreign Affairs‘An extensive and exhaustive map of Pyongyang’s journey to a nuclear deterrent that will stand the test of time.’ -- NK News‘Panda, a noted international security analyst, discusses each step the North Korean regime took to build its stockpile, integrating his narrative with accounts of the diplomatic strategies successive American administrations adopted first to prevent the North from weaponizing the atom and then to slow progress once the Kims had succeeded.’ -- The New York Times'North Korea's quest for nuclear weapons didn't begin in 2017. "Kim Jong Un and the Bomb" meticulously lays out how we got here -- and what lies ahead. It should be required reading for understanding the motivations and machinations behind Kim's destabilising mission.' -- Jean Lee, former AP Pyongyang bureau chief, and director of the Center for Korean History and Public Policy, Wilson Center'One of the best volumes available to provide deep insights into the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the long cycle of danger--openings--progress--shattered hope. Worthy of study!' -- Retd U.S. Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, commander of UN Command, U.S. Forces Korea and U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command, 2016-18'A timely, balanced and comprehensive overview of North Korea's path to becoming a nuclear power, and what this means for the world. Panda shows that this extraordinary story is immensely important, but--despite bizarre episodes and characters--not remotely funny.' -- Kerry Brown, Director of the Lau China Institute, King's College London

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Book SynopsisBased on original and previously unavailable documents, Yuri Kostenko’s account of the negotiations surrounding the Budapest Memorandum agreement between Ukraine, Russia, and the US reveals for the first time the internal debates of the Ukrainian government, as well as the pressure exerted upon it by its international partners.Trade ReviewA really, really interesting story, almost unknown in the West…Nuclear weapons were Ukraine’s security, and they gave it up because the US and Russia were working together…What has happened to Ukraine since it was disarmed has and will have a negative impact on the global story of denuclearization. Countries are going to think twice next time someone comes along proposing to give them a piece of paper in exchange for their nuclear weapons. -- Serhii Plokhy * Five Books *An interesting and timely document that will be of great interest not only to Ukraine scholars but also to the scholars of national security and global nuclear politics. -- Eglė Rindzevičiūtė * Slavic Review *An absorbing read, providing historical insights on the demise of the Soviet Union, the emergence of independent Ukraine, the management of its relations with Moscow and the West, and challenges and pitfalls of diplomacy from a position of weakness. It contains important lessons for the management of today’s proliferation challenges in North East Asia and the Middle East. -- John Tilemann * Australian Outlook *A story of David (new-born Ukraine) versus Goliath (Russia), with a fierce domestic debate in the political sphere in Ukraine—less so in the societal sphere—between actors with different beliefs and interests…Crucial in light of the current happenings, already at the beginning of the 1990s one could discern indications that it was extremely important to Russia that Ukraine would remain within its sphere of influence. -- Tom Sauer * Canadian Slavonic Papers *Revealing…Drawing on the parliamentary and executive government portfolios that Kostenko held during the 1990s, the book lays out a picture of the intense domestic and international political struggles that prompted Kiev to give up the bomb that some Ukrainians today wistfully believe could have deterred Russia from gobbling up Crimea while fomenting separatism in the country’s east. -- Bennett Ramberg * Political Science Quarterly *Yuri Kostenko has written a superb book explaining why Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in the mid-1990s, leaving itself without a deterrent against Russia. He shows in fascinating detail that pressure from Moscow and Washington left Ukraine with little choice but to surrender its nuclear arsenal. Kostenko directly ties that fateful decision to the war that broke out between Russia and Ukraine in 2014, in which Ukraine was largely defenseless and the United States, which had promised to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty, sat on the sidelines. The implicit message of Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament is clear: there is no substitute for a nuclear deterrent when you live in a dangerous neighborhood. -- John J. Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, University of Chicago, and author of Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International RealitiesYuri Kostenko’s rich, cogent, and well-sourced insider account of Ukraine giving up the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal in the 1990s shows how power asymmetries and state-building affect international political outcomes in nontrivial and counterintuitive ways—with the security dilemma engendering hasty unilateral disarmament; costly commitments demanded from weaker rather than stronger states; and democratic peace falling short of its promises even with the endorsement of the world’s most powerful democracies. A must-read for students of international politics, the book explains how authoritarian adversaries can leverage America’s security concerns of the day to subvert fledgling democracies and why support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and integration with the West is in America’s vital long-term national interest. -- Mikhail Alexseev, Professor in the Department of Political Science, San Diego State University, and author of Without Warning: Threat Assessment, Intelligence, and Global StruggleUkraine’s Nuclear Disarmament is the definitive account of the fateful decision to unilaterally dismantle the world’s third largest nuclear arsenal. Yuri Kostenko was the consummate insider, with privileged access to the actors and arguments that led to a decision whose legacy continues to haunt Ukraine’s future. Not only does he produce a wealth of new material, some previously classified; he disposes of the myth that the opponents of this decision wished to maintain Ukraine’s nuclear status. Until now, the straw man of ‘nuclear-armed Ukraine’ has impeded critical thought about whether more could have been done to ensure ‘effective disarmament.’ Kostenko’s detailed and engrossing account will enlighten and disquiet in equal measure. -- James Sherr, Senior Fellow, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute at the International Centre for Defence and Security, and Associate Fellow, Chatham House Russia and Eurasia ProgrammeEven readers who believe that Ukraine never had a realistic chance—technically or politically—of emerging as a full-fledged nuclear weapons state in the 1990s will find Yuri Kostenko’s book extremely illuminating. Having served as Ukraine’s minister of environmental protection and a member of the Ukrainian parliament during the protracted debates on the nuclear issue, Kostenko provides a richly detailed insider’s account that underscores the importance of political divisions within Ukraine in shaping the outcome. These divisions, he contends, gave greater leverage to external actors and prevented Ukraine from pursuing the kind of deal he favored: a deal that would have given Ukraine more robust security guarantees and greater financial compensation in exchange for relinquishing all the nuclear missiles left on its territory after the demise of the Soviet Union. -- Mark Kramer, Director of Cold War Studies, Harvard University

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Book SynopsisOn 6 August and 8 August 1945, the world changed forever with the release of two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. In January 1947, the United States informed the British Government that they would not provide technical data for the production of nuclear weapons. It was therefore decided that Britain would produce its own bombs. In July 1944, the first operational jet aircraft, the Meteor, entered service in the RAF and the Government decided to develop jet-powered aircraft capable of dropping nuclear weapons, resulting in the development of the 'V' bombers: Valiant, Vulcan and Victor. As a result of the deteriorating relationship with Russia, the United States, as part of NATO, worked with the UK and co-operated in nuclear operational planning with US bomber aircraft based in the UK. Later, as a result of the development of nuclear power, submarines were fitted with nuclear weapons which resulted in the deterrent role passing from the RAF to the Royal Navy. However, the Cold War provided a unique role and responsibility for the RAF.My Target was Leningrad - V Force: Preserving our Democracy is unique in that it is a human story, not just a list of technical facts and bomber data. With many previously unpublished photographs from the author's private collection, this is the chilling story of what really happened and how close the world came to World War III and a nuclear apocalypse. Unlike other military historians, author Philip Goodall not only flew the mighty V bombers in action, but was also tasked to drop the bomb on Leningrad.

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Book SynopsisWith the signing in 1996 of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, interest has grown in forensic seismology: the application of seismology to nuclear test ban verification. This book, based on over 50 years of experience in forensic seismology research, charts the development of methods of seismic data analysis. Topics covered include: the estimation of seismic magnitudes, travel-time tables and epicentres; seismic signal processing; and the use of seismometer arrays. Fully illustrated with seismograms from explosions and earthquakes, the book demonstrates methods and problems of visual analysis. Each chapter provides exercises to help the reader familiarise themselves with practical issues in the field of forensic seismology, and figures and solutions to exercises are also available online. The book is a key reference work for academic researchers and specialists in the area of forensic seismology and Earth structure, and will also be valuable to postgraduates in seismology and sTable of ContentsPreface; Prologue; 1. Seismology: ancient and modern; 2. Statistical solutions to seismological problems; 3. Seismograms as time series; 4. Seismographs and seismograms; 5. Seismometer arrays and processing methods; 6. Seismogram interpretation and synthesis; 7. Hypocentres and P travel times; 8. Seismic magnitudes; 9. Seismic source identification; 10. Epilogue; Appendix A. P and S radiation from a double-couple source; Appendix B. Normal equations for analysis of variance; Appendix C. Some uses of the FFT; Appendix D. Anelastic attenuation; Appendix E. Transient and steady-state; Appendix F. Seismometer-galvanometer systems; Appendix G. Signal-to-noise improvement; Appendix H. Minimum-power filters; Appendix I. Circular arrays; Appendix J. Geometrical spreading for sP; Appendix K. Fourier integral; Appendix L. Tables of explosions and earthquakes; Appendix M. Album of body-wave seismograms; Appendix N. Exercises; References; Further reading; Index.

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Book SynopsisWe are at a time when international law and the law of war are particularly important. Ever since the first nuclear bomb was tested and then used, humanity has lived with the threat of total annihilation. This book discusses the effects of nuclear war and shows a way to eliminate the risks.Table of ContentsPart I. International Law and World Order: 1. The Shimoda case: a legal appraisal of the atomic attacks upon Hiroshima and Nagasaki; 2. Nuclear policy and world order: why denuclearization; 3. Toward a legal regime for nuclear weapons; 4. Nuclear weapons, international law and the world court: a historic encounter; 5. The nuclear weapons advisory opinion and the new jurisprudence of global civil society; 6. Inhibiting reliance on biological weaponry: the role and relevance of international law; Part II. Impacts of Democracy, Neutrality and National Interest: 7. Nuclear weapons and the end of democracy; 8. Nuclear weapons and the renewal of democracy; 9. Neutrality, international law and the nuclear arms race; 10. Nuclearism and national interest – the situation of a non-nuclear ally; 11. A radical world order challenge: addressing global climate change and the threat of nuclear weapons; Part III. Nuclear Policy Initiatives: 12. Arms control, foreign policy, and global reform; 13. The illegitimacy of the non-proliferation regime; 14. No first use of nuclear weapons: pros and cons; 15. Environmental warfare and ecocide facts, appraisal, and proposals; Part IV. Remembering the Past, Encountering the Future: 16. The paucity of the millennial moment: the case of nuclearism; 17. The nuclear challenge after seventy years; 18. The spirit of Thoreau in the age of Trident.

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Book SynopsisDOD spends billions of dollars annually to sustain its weapon systems to support current and future operations. The Air Force and Navy are operating many of their fixed-wing aircraft well beyond their original designed service lives and therefore are confronted with sustainment challenges. Chapter 1 examines the trends in availability and O&S costs for selected Air Force and Navy fixed-wing aircraft since fiscal year 2011, including whether they met availability goals, and assesses the extent that the departments documented sustainment strategies, reviewed sustainment metrics, and implemented plans to improve aircraft availability. Software is integral to the operation and functionality of DOD equipment, platforms, and weapon systems, including tactical and combat vehicles, aircraft, ships, submarines, and strategic missiles. Chapter 2 examines the extent to which (1) DOD has policies and organizations in place to manage the sustainment of operational system software for weapon systems; and (2) DOD and the military departments track costs to sustain weapon system software. The Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are undertaking an extensive, multifaceted effort to sustain and modernize U.S. nuclear weapons capabilities, including the nuclear weapons stockpile; the research and production infrastructure; delivery systems; and the nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) system. Chapter 3 presents observations on the extent to which the FY 2018 joint report provides accurate and complete information about nuclear sustainment and modernization budget estimates and related budget estimating methodologies. The Department of Defense and NNSA have sought for nearly a decade to replace the capabilities of the aging W78 nuclear warhead used by the U.S. Air Force. Chapter 4 describes NNSA's steps in key early planning areas ... including program management, technology assessment, and coordination with facilities and capabilities ... to prepare to restart a program to replace the W78. Responsibility for U.S. nuclear weapons resides in both the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Energy (DOE). DOD develops, deploys, and operates the missiles and aircraft that deliver nuclear warheads. It also generates the military requirements for the warheads carried on those platforms. Chapter 5 focuses on the facilities managed by the DOE and its semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The Trump Administration's Nuclear Posture Review includes plans for the United States to deploy two new types of nuclear weapons "to enhance the flexibility and responsiveness of U.S. nuclear forces." Chapter 6 highlights that these weapons represent a response to Russia's deployment of a much larger stockpile of lower-yield nonstrategic nuclear weapons.

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Book SynopsisDetection of nuclear weapons and special nuclear material (SNM) is crucial to thwarting nuclear proliferation and terrorism and to securing weapons and materials world-wide. Congress has funded a portfolio of detection R&D and acquisition programs, and has mandated inspection at foreign ports of all U.S.-bound cargo containers using two types of detection equipment. Nuclear weapons contain SNM, which produces unique or suspect signatures that can be detected. It emits radiation, notably gamma rays (high-energy photons) and neutrons. SNM is very dense, so it produces a bright image on a radiograph when X-rays or gamma rays are beamed through a container in which it is hidden. Some detection technology is advancing faster than many have expected. It is easier and less costly to accelerate a program in R&D than in production. This book emphasises the ongoing improvement in detection capabilities which produce uncertainties for terrorists that will increase over time, adding deterrence beyond that of the capabilities themselves. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

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Book SynopsisThe Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty would ban all nuclear explosions. It was opened for signature in 1996. As of March 2008, 178 nations had signed it and 144 had ratified. To enter into force, 44 specified nations must ratify it; 35 have done so. The Senate rejected the treaty in 1999; the Bush Administration opposes it. The United States has observed a nuclear test moratorium since 1992. This book discusses elements, arguments and analysis on the comprehensive nuclear-test ban treaty.

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Book SynopsisMost analysts consider non-strategic weapons to be shorter-range delivery systems with lower yield warheads that might be used to attack troops or facilities on the battlefield. These weapons have a lower profile in policy debates and arms control negotiations, possibly because they do not pose a direct threat to the continental United States. This book provides basic information about U.S., Russian, North Korean and Pakistani nuclear weapons. It begins with a brief discussion of how these weapons have appeared in public debates in the past few decades, then summarises the differences between strategic and non-strategic nuclear weapons. Historical background is discussed, describing the numbers and types of non-strategic nuclear weapons deployed during the Cold War by the U.S. and Russia, and in the past decade; the policies that have guided the deployment and prospective use of these weapons; and the measures taken to reduce and contain them. Also discussed is what is known about North Korea''s nuclear weapons program and Pakistan''s nuclear arsenal.

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Book SynopsisThe ballistic missile threat is increasing both quantitatively and qualitatively, and is likely to continue to do so over the next decade. Current global trends indicate that ballistic missile systems are becoming more flexible, mobile, survivable, reliable, and accurate, while also increasing in range. A number of states are also working to increase the protection of their ballistic missiles from pre-launch attack and to increase their effectiveness in penetrating missile defences. Several states are also developing nuclear, chemical, and/or biological warheads for their missiles. Such capabilities could be significant sources of military advantage during a conflict. But they may be equally significant in times of relative peace, when they undergird efforts to coerce states near and far. Regional actors such as North Korea and Iran continue to develop long-range missiles that will be threatening to the United States. There is some uncertainty about when and how this type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threat to the U.S. homeland will mature, but there is no uncertainty about the existence of regional threats. They are clear and present. The threat from short- range, medium-range, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (SRBMs, MRBMs, and IRBMs) in regions where the United States deploys forces and maintains security relationships is growing at a particularly rapid pace. This book provides an overview of select issues and policies of the ballistic missile defence program.

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Book SynopsisThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)plays a crucial role in supporting U.S. nuclear non-proliferation goals through its safeguards and nuclear security programs. The Department of State (State) co-ordinates the United States'' financial and policy relationship with IAEA. IAEA''s safeguards program is designed to detect and deter the diversion of nuclear material for non-peaceful purposes, while the agency''s nuclear security program assists countries in improving the physical protection of their nuclear material and facilities. IAEA plans to create an international fuel bank to guarantee the supply of fuel for civilian nuclear power programs. This book examines any challenges that IAEA faces in carrying out its safeguards program; any limitations regarding the nuclear security program; and the status of IAEA''s planned nuclear fuel bank.

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Book SynopsisNuclear weapons are an essential part of the nation''s defence strategy. The National Nuclear Security Administration''s (NNSA) manages the nation''s nuclear weapons stockpile and carries out research to help extend the life of existing weapons. The core of a nuclear weapon, called a "pit", requires plutonium (a man-made radioactive element) to create a nuclear explosion. Until 1989, the Rocky Flats Plant (CO) mass-produced pits. Since then, the United States has made at most 11 pits per year (ppy). U.S. policy is to maintain existing nuclear weapons. To do this, the Department of Defense states that it needs the Department of Energy (DOE), which maintains U.S. nuclear weapons, to produce 50-80 ppy by 2030. While some argue that few if any new pits are needed, at least for decades, this book focuses on options to reach 80 ppy. Since pit issues are complicated, this book contains technical and regulatory details that are needed to understand the advantages, drawbacks, and uncertainties of various options. The book includes a description of plutonium, pits, and pit factory problems before considering several pit production options.

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Book Synopsis*A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK*The first book to tell the story of day-to-day life on the nuclear home front - from the host of #1 podcast Atomic Hobo'So entertaining' The Times 'Cracking' Sunday TelegraphThe atomic bombs of 1945 changed war forever. The awesome power of the blast and its deadly fallout meant home in Britain fell under the nuclear shadow, and the threat of annihilation coloured every aspect of ordinary life for the next forty years.Families were encouraged to construct makeshift shelters with cardboard and sandbags. Vicars and pub landlords learnt how to sound hand-wound sirens, offering four minutes to scramble to safety. Thousands volunteered to give nuclear first aid, often consisting of breakfast tea, herbal remedies, and advice on how to die without contaminating others. And while the public had to look after themselves, bunkers were readied for the officials and experts who would ensure life continued after the catastrophe.Today we may read about the Cold War and life in Britain under the shadow of the mushroom cloud with a sense of amusement and relief that the apocalypse did not happen. But it is also a timely and powerful reminder that, so long as nuclear weapons exist, the nuclear threat will always be with us.'Impossible to believe, just as hard to put down' Dan Snow'Simultaneously horrifying, weirdly nostalgic and darkly hilarIous' Mark Haddon, author of The PorpoiseTrade ReviewCracking * Sunday Telegraph *So entertaining * The Times *Very good ... A sobering book, but a gripping one * Spectator *Julie McDowall's thoroughly gripping study ... makes for genuinely startling and sometimes darkly funny reading... [it's] brilliantly chilling and sparkily engaging * Mail on Sunday *Attack Warning Red! is a timely reminder of the mind-blanking horror of nuclear warfare, as it menaces Europe once more * Sunday Times *Simultaneously horrifying, weirdly nostalgic and darkly hilarious * Mark Haddon, author of The Porpoise *Impossible to believe, just as hard to put down. Urgent. Terrifying * Dan Snow, historian and host of History Hit *Superb ... a lucid, totally compulsive read from beginning to end, chilling as well as profoundly empathetic in tone * Mick Jackson, director of Threads *Brilliant and unforgettable ... A beautifully writtern horror story and amazing work of research ... Julie McDowall has made the unreadable compulsive and the unthinkable thinkable, but above all this is a book that cherishes humanity in all its absurdity, intelligence, vulnerability, courage and, against all odds, belief in hope and survival * Juliet Nicolson, author of Frostquake *Captivating, chilling, and at times darkly humorous. A fascinating insight into Britain's preparations for surviving Armageddon, and the ghastly reality of what the aftermath of a nuclear war would actually be like * Lewis Dartnell, author of The Knowledge *Fascinating * Sir Lawrence Freedman, author of Command *How to prepare for Armageddon? Julie McDowell has written the best exploration yet of how successive British administrations grappled with the challenge of living under the shadow of nuclear war, with depth, compassion and very necessary dark humour * Prof. Mark Galeotti, author of The Weaponisation of Everything *This by turns harrowing and farcical book charts the reality of living under constant threat of nuclear oblivion * iPaper *Timely ... harrowing ... farcical ... the most surprising aspect of Attack Warning Red!, however, is that, alongside generous helpings of fear and unease, it carries a strong charge of nostalgia * Scotland on Sunday *Attack Warning Red! effectively pulls together many strands from this unsettling aspect of British history and weaves them in a way that will alarm and entertain * BBC History Magazine *A fascinating read * Radio Times *An atomic Dad's Army, McDowall's history of the UK's nuclear civil defence is full of hilarious gems * Daily Telegraph *McDowall's book has the tone of a podcast [...] She leads her audience round bunkers, propaganda films and government records, pointing out the horrifying, the unexpected and the absurd * London Review of Books *Most interesting * Times Literary Supplement *An unsettling festive read * Soldier *

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Book SynopsisAmong the weapons of mass destruction invented so far, nuclear weapons remain unique, not only due to the large-scale destruction they can inflict almost instantaneously, but also due to the insidious and long-term threat they pose to humanity. In spite of being in existence for such a long time, some of the facets of nuclear weapons, especially their immediate and long-term effects remain an enigma for most people. This book is an attempt to demystify some of these aspects and effects of nuclear weapons, so that our civil and military defence planners have a reasonable idea about the scale and magnitude of disaster that will follow a nuclear attack. As a natural corollary, it then examines the type and nature of post-attack disaster management operations that may have to be launched following a counter-value strike. The study also dwells on the various problems associated with the conduct of military operations in a radiologically contaminated environment, with a view to derive viable and technically sound working parameters.

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Book SynopsisThe articles contained in this volume encapsulate the current debate on why and how to move towards a world free of nuclear weapons. Presented at an international conference held in new Delhi, the papers by leading experts from around the world, question existing paradigms and explore new securities.

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Book SynopsisThrough interesting anecdotes from the lives of these great personalities, the book aims to give a brief but complete picture of Indiaâs nuclear story.

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Book SynopsisOffers a look inside a country torn apart - from corrupt officials to warlords and child brides - while revisiting the author's own family's deep roots to the land.Trade Review"Nawa deftly sketches the geopolitical nightmare that is today's Afghanistan, but the book's real strength is her detailed, sensitive reporting of individual people's stories." -- Boston Globe "Powerful... Nawa draws rich, complex portraits of subjects on both sides of the law ... Nawa's work is remarkable for its depth, honesty, and commitment to recording women's stories, even when it means putting her own safety at risk. She writes with passion about the history of her volatile homeland and with cautious optimism about its future." -- Publishers Weekly "Nawa ably captures the tragic complexity of Afghan society and the sheer difficulty of life there... Her assured narrative clearly stems from in-depth reporting in a risk-laden environment." -- Kirkus Reviews "Insightful and informative... Fariba Nawa weaves her personal story of reconnecting with her homeland after 9/11 with a very engaging narrative that chronicles Afghanistan's dangerous descent into opium trafficking ... [and] how the drug trade has damaged the lives of ordinary Afghan people." -- Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns "Opium Nation brings much needed depth and complexity to any conversation involving Afghanistan and its future. Fariba Nawa writes with the detailed eye of a journalist, the warmth of a proud Afghan and the nuanced perspective of someone effortlessly straddling the East and the West." -- Firoozeh Dumas, author of Laughing Without an Accent and Funny in Farsi "Journalists, policy makers, and scholars have written on the Afghan drug trade, but no one has shown its human drama and toll like Fariba Nawa. [She] offers a unique view of the human side of this conflict in which we are so deeply engaged." -- Barnett R. Rubin, author of The Fragmentation of Afghanistan

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Book SynopsisThe book reflects the author''s experience across more than forty years in assessing and forming policy about nuclear weapons, mostly at senior levels close to the centre both of British governmental decision-making and of NATO''s development of plans and deployments, with much interaction also with comparable levels of United States activity in the Pentagon and the State department. Part I of the book seeks to distill, from this exceptional background of practical experience, basic conceptual ways of understanding the revolution brought about by nuclear weapons. It also surveys NATO''s progressive development of thinking about nuclear deterrence, and then discusses the deep moral dilemmas posed - for all possible standpoints - by the existence of such weapons. Part II considers the risks and costs of nuclear-weapon possession, including proliferation dangers, and looks at both successful and unsuccessful ideas about how to manage them. Part III illustrates specific issues by reviewingTrade ReviewQuinlans reflections on nuclear weapons are thought-provoking and informative...Eloquent and thought-provoking, this is a book that should be enjoyed by a wide audience...This is an excellent book that students of history and international security would do well to consider. * David James Gill, International Affairs *The best possible introduction to modern nuclear-policy thinking. * Survival *Table of ContentsForeword ; Preface ; Introduction ; PART I - THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS ; 1. The Nuclear Revolution ; 2. The Tools of Thinking ; 3. Deterrence ; 4. Nuclear Deterrence in NATO ; 5. The Ethics of Nuclear Weapons ; PART II - MANAGING NUCLEAR WEAPONS ; 6. Risks ; 7. Proliferation ; 8. Arms Racing, Costs, and Arms Control ; 9. Easements and Escape Routes ; NATIONAL NUCLEAR-WEAPON POSTURES AND POLICIES: BRITAIN, INDIA, PAKISTAN ; 10. United Kingdom Doctrine and Policy ; 11. Nuclear Weapons in South Asia ; PART IV - THE PATH AHEAD ; 12. The Abolition of Nuclear Armouries? ; 13. The Practical Agenda ; Appendix 1: Nuclear weapons and preventing war ; Appendix 2: The strategic use of nuclear weapons ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe US-Soviet arms race, told through the story of a colorful and visionary American Air Force officer—melding biography, history, world affairs, and science to transport the reader back and forth from individual drama to world stage. Compulsively readable and important.” —The New York Times Book ReviewIn this never-before-told story, Neil Sheehan—winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award -- details American Air Force officer Bernard Schriever’s quest to prevent the Soviet Union from acquiring nuclear superiority, and describes American efforts to develop the unstoppable nuclear-weapon delivery system, the intercontinental ballistic missile, the first weapons meant to deter an atomic holocaust rather than to be fired in anger.   In a sweeping narrative, Sheehan brings to life a huge cast of some of the most intriguing characters of

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Book SynopsisIran is aggressively seeking nuclear technology that could be used for making weapons —and its quest has set off alarms throughout the world. This widespread concern stems in part from Iran's uncertain intentions and recent history.

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Book SynopsisThe cold war ended more than two decades ago, and with its end came a reduction in the threat of nuclear weapons - a luxury that we can no longer indulge. In this book, the author argues that we need to pay renewed attention to nuclear weapons and how their presence will transform the way crises develop and escalate.

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Book SynopsisFrom master storyteller and historian H. W. Brands comes the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America''s future in the aftermath of World War II. At the height of the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman committed a gaffe that sent shock waves around the world. When asked by a reporter about the possible use of atomic weapons in response to China''s entry into the war, Truman replied testily, "The military commander in the field will have charge of the use of the weapons, as he always has." This suggested that General Douglas MacArthur, the willful, fearless, and highly decorated commander of the American and U.N. forces, had his finger on the nuclear trigger. A correction quickly followed, but the damage was done; two visions for America''s path forward were clearly in opposition, and one man would have to make way.     Truman was one of the most unpopular presidents in American history. Heir to a struggling economy, a ruined Europe, and increasing tension with the Soviet Union, on no issue was the path ahead clear and easy. General MacArthur, by contrast, was incredibly popular, as untouchable as any officer has ever been in America. The lessons he drew from World War II were absolute: appeasement leads to disaster and a showdown with the communists was inevitable--the sooner the better. In the nuclear era, when the Soviets, too, had the bomb, the specter of a catastrophic third World War lurked menacingly close on the horizon.     The contest of wills between these two titanic characters unfolds against the turbulent backdrop of a faraway war and terrors conjured at home by Joseph McCarthy. From the drama of Stalin''s blockade of West Berlin to the daring landing of MacArthur''s forces at Inchon to the shocking entrance of China into the war, The General and the President vividly evokes the making of a new American era.

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Book SynopsisThis timely book contains excerpts from authoritative testimony, speeches and reports of political leaders, members of Congress, and leading experts who lay out a roadmap for understanding the nation's growing concern and response to the threat of super terrorism. It highlights warnings on the domestic and international threat form reports of the Bremer Commission, Gilmore Commission, Hart-Rudman Commission, Baker-Cutler Report and the USS Cole Commission. The text features statements and assessments of Madeleine Albright, Ahmed Al-Fadl, Ken Alibek, Seth Carus, Bill Clinton, Anthony Cordesman, John Deutch, Louis Freeh, Donald Henderson, Joshua Lederberg, Sam Nunn, John Parachini, Janet Reno, George Tenet and others. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.Table of ContentsTable of Contents Setting the Scene; Dire Threat?; Ready to Respond; Is the Homeland Safe?; Loose Nukes and Bought Brains; Intelligence and Technology; Laws and Directives.

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Book SynopsisFrom Tunisia to Egypt and from Israel to Iran, the debates surrounding the concept of democracy in the Middle East are never straightforward. This has been particularly evident since the events of 2009 in Iran and the uprisings across the Arab world in late 2010 and 2011. Against this backdrop, Democratic Peace across the Middle East critically analyses the prospects for democracy throughout the region, specifically asking whether political and social modernisation are absolute preconditions for democratic peace to take hold in the region, or whether democracy without modernisation might be enough. It explores the dynamics between neo-patriarchy and Islam on the one hand, and democratisation and modernisation on the other, and also considers the prospect of the political accommodation of opposition groups. Incorporating an analysis of a variety of key dynamics which affect each Middle Eastern country in turn, such as tribal and sectarian identity, Islamism and the structure of political party systems, this book will appeal to those researching the Middle East and its patterns of rule.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Democracy, Islam, Political Modernization and Democratic Peace in the Middle East. Yakub Halabi Chapter 2: Foreign Policy of a Muslim Democracy: Turkish Foreign Policy under the Justice and Development Party. Turan Kayaoglu Chapter 3: Democracy, Political Modernization and Democratic Peace: The Case of Iran. Houchang Hassan-Yari and Mojtaba Mahdavi Chapter 4: Democracy, Political Modernization and Democratic Peace: The Case of Iraq. Eric Davis Chapter 5: Contested Democracy, Political Modernization and Democratic Peace: The Case of Egypt. Sabah Alnaseri and Stephen Maher Chapter 6: Democracy, Political Modernization and Democratic Peace: The Case of Tunisia (Author to be announced) Chapter 7: Democracy, Political Modernization and Democratic Peace: The Case of Lebanon. Malek Abisaab Chapter 8: Democracy, and Political Modernization and Democratic Peace within the Palestinian Authority. Yakub Halabi Chapter 9: Can Two Walk Together, Except They Be Agreed? Electoralization and Democratization in the Middle East, A View from Israel. Uriel Abulof Chapter 10: The Consonance of the Islamist Shari’a-State with the Requirement for a Democratic Peace in the Context of Arab Spring. Bassam Tibi Chapter 11: Conclusion. Yakub Halabi

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