Nuclear weapons Books

255 products


  • The Nuclear Spies

    Cornell University Press The Nuclear Spies

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisWhy did the US intelligence services fail so spectacularly to know about the Soviet Union''s nuclear capabilities following World War II? As Vince Houghton, historian and curator of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, shows us, that disastrous failure came just a few years after the Manhattan Project''s intelligence team had penetrated the Third Reich and knew every detail of the Nazi ''s plan for an atomic bomb. What changed and what went wrong?Houghton''s delightful retelling of this fascinating case of American spy ineffectiveness in the then new field of scientific intelligence provides us with a new look at the early years of the Cold War. During that time, scientific intelligence quickly grew to become a significant portion of the CIA budget as it struggled to contend with the incredible advance in weapons and other scientific discoveries immediately after World War II. As The Nuclear Spies shows, the abilities of the Soviet Union''s scientists, its rTrade ReviewIn this neat, enthralling study, Houghton wonders why this successful intelligence operation was followed by the failure to anticipate the first Soviet nuclear test in August 1949. * Foreign Affairs *A great read: Concise, fact-packed, laden with fascinating anecdotes, and chock full of insights... This book is for everyone, intelligence expert and layperson alike. A page turner. * The Cipher Brief *As Vince Houghton reports in this beautifully written and well-researched history, the American scientific and strategic community believed they were in a race with Nazi physics, and they had a nagging fear that they might not win that race. The Nuclear Spies explores the administrative, scientific, logistical, and intelligence aspects of the effort to collect, analyze, and disseminate information about a weapon that at the time was neither fully understood nor developed. * International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence *Vince Houghton has written an engaging and well-researched book focusing on the U.S. effort to gather scientific intelligence on the German atomic bomb program during World War II. Houghton expands his scope beyond the war to demonstrate that the scientific and atomic intelligence bureaucracy designed during the war withered in the immediate postwar era. * The Journal of American History *[A] useful introduction to the field of scientific intelligence. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction: The Principal Uncertainty 1. A Reasonable Fear: The U.S. (Mis)Perception of the German Nuclear Program 2. Making Something out of Nothing: The Creation of U.S. Nuclear Intelligence 3. Alsos: The Mission to Solve the Mystery of the German Bomb 4. Transitions: From the German Threat to the Soviet Menace 5. Regression: The Postwar Devolution of U.S. Nuclear Intelligence 6. Whistling in the Dark: The U.S. (Mis)Perception of the Soviet Nuclear Program Conclusion: Credit Where Credit Is Due Notes Selected Bibliography Index

    1 in stock

    £20.89

  • Tempting Fate

    Cornell University Press Tempting Fate

    5 in stock

    Book SynopsisUnpacking of the dynamics of conflict under conditions of nuclear monopoly, Paul C. Avey argues in Tempting Fate that the costs and benefits of using nuclear weapons create openings that weak nonnuclear actors can exploit. Avey uses four case studies to show the key strategies available to nonnuclear states: Iraqi decision-making under Saddam Hussein in confrontations with the United States; Egyptian leaders'' thinking about the Israeli nuclear arsenal during wars in 196970 and 1973; Chinese confrontations with the United States in 1950, 1954, and 1958; and a dispute that never escalated to war, the Soviet-United States tensions between 1946 and 1948 that culminated in the Berlin Blockade. Strategies employed include limiting the scope of the conflict, holding chemical and biological weapons in reserve, seeking outside support, and leveraging international non-use norms. Avey demonstrates clearly that nuclear weapons cast a definite but limiTrade ReviewIn Tempting Fate, Avey puts forth a simple but meaningful question: Why do states that do not have nuclear weapons pick fights with states that do? Avey's logic is sound and straightforward. This is a cogent and well-researched book. * Choice *Tempting Fate illustrates that, when it comes to challenging the strong, the weak seem to oscillate between faith in the nuclear taboo and fear of nuclear retaliation. This insight will make few theorists happy, but it does mark a step forward in our understanding of how nuclear weapons alter the calculus of risk accepting decision makers. * Perspective on Politics *Tempting Fate makes a meaningful and insightful contribution to security studies and nuclear security. [T]his book is an important and novel contribution. * H-Diplo *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Strategic Logic of Nuclear Monopoly 2. Iraq versus the United States 3. Egypt versus Israel 4. China versus the United States 5. The Soviet Union versus the United States Conclusion

    5 in stock

    £40.50

  • Super Bomb

    Cornell University Press Super Bomb

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisSuper Bomb unveils the story of the events leading up to President Harry S. Truman's 1950 decision to develop a "super," or hydrogen, bomb. That fateful decision and its immediate consequences are detailed in a diverse and complete account built on newly released archives and previously hidden contemporaneous interviews with more than sixty...Trade ReviewSuper Bomb is well written, cogently argued, and deeply researched. The narrative is supported with robust archival materials and illuminating contemporaneous interviews with myriad policy makers, scientists, and officers who personally witnessed—and in many cases influenced—this critical episode. * Choice *Sixty years of gestation makes Super Bomb a unique book and, intellectually speaking, an interesting archaeological find. * Perspectives on Politics *[T]he long delay in having the project come to fruition is a serendipitous boon for historians. hHe interviews contain many near-contemporaneous observations and insights from the principals in the superbomb decision. * journal of cold war studies *Young, a British academic, took Schilling's material, carried out some additional research, and crafted a compelling book that was published posthumously. * Foreign Affairs *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Shock of the "New World" 2. Advising on the Super 3. A Decision Reached 4. Moral and Political Consequences 5. Dissent and Development 6. Tactical Diversions 7. Rewriting Los Alamos Conclusions Notes Bibliography Index

    20 in stock

    £32.30

  • Atomic Bill

    Cornell University Press Atomic Bill

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn Atomic Bill, Vincent Kiernan examines the fraught career of New York Times science journalist, William L. Laurence and shows his professional and personal lives to be a cautionary tale of dangerous proximity to power. Laurence was fascinated with atomic science and its militarization. When the Manhattan Project drew near to perfecting the atomic bomb, he was recruited to write much of the government''s press materials that were distributed on the day that Hiroshima was obliterated. That instantly crowned Laurence as one of the leading journalistic experts on the atomic bomb. As the Cold War dawned, some assessed Laurence as a propagandist defending the militarization of atomic energy. For others, he was a skilled science communicator who provided the public with a deep understanding of the atomic bomb. Laurence leveraged his perch at the Times to engage in paid speechmaking, book writing, filmmakingTable of ContentsIntroduction: A Moth to the Flame 1. The Second Coming of Prometheus 2. On the Army's Payroll 3. Magnetic Current 4. Atomland-on-Mars 5. Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki 6. Aftermath 7. Atomic Plagiarism in the South Pacific 8. Reporter Grade 8 9. The Elixir of Life 10. The Hell Bomb 11. Atomic Dialogue 12. The U-Bomb 13. King Laurence 14. Peace Through Understanding

    20 in stock

    £23.39

  • Euromissiles

    Cornell University Press Euromissiles

    20 in stock

    Book SynopsisIn Euromissiles, Susan Colbourn tells the story of the height of nuclear crisis and the remarkable waning of the fear that gripped the globe. In the Cold War conflict that pitted nuclear superpowers against one another, Europe was the principal battleground. Washington and Moscow had troops on the ground and missiles in the fields of their respective allies, the NATO nations and the states of the Warsaw Pact. Euromissilesintermediate-range nuclear weapons to be used exclusively in the regional theater of warhighlighted how the peoples of Europe were dangerously placed between hammer and anvil. That made European leaders uncomfortable and pushed fearful masses into the streets demanding peace in their time. At the center of the story is NATO. Colbourn highlights the weakness of the alliance seen by many as the most effective bulwark against Soviet aggression. Divided among themselves and uncertain about the depth of US support, thTrade ReviewSusan Colbourn has written a truly international history of what has become known as "the Euromissile crisis" to explain why NATO did not collapse under the weight of these events. Colbourn's book is an exemplary study of contemporary history. Reading Colbourn's book offers a useful analytical antidote. * Current History *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Security and Survival Part One: Decide 1. The Sixties Stalemate 2. Parity's Problem 3. Shades of Gray 4. Fiasco! 5. It Takes Two Part Two: Deploy 6. End the Arms Race, Not the Human Race 7. Moons and Green Cheese 8. First Principles 9. The Year of the Missile Part Three: Destroy 10. The Empty Chair 11. Who's Afraid of Gorbachev? 12. Blast from the Past Conclusion: Time and Chance Notes Bibliography Index

    20 in stock

    £26.09

  • The End of Victory

    Cornell University Press The End of Victory

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe End of Victory recounts the costs of failure in nuclear war through the work of the most secret deliberative body of the National Security Council, the Net Evaluation Subcommittee (NESC). From 1953 onward, US leaders wanted to know as precisely as possible what would happen if they failed in a nuclear warhow many Americans would die and how much of the country would remain. The NESC told Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy what would be the result of the worst failure of American strategya maximum-effort surprise Soviet nuclear assault on the United States. Edward Kaplan details how NESC studies provided key information for presidential decisions on the objectives of a war with the USSR and on the size and shape of the US military. The subcommittee delivered its annual reports in a decade marked by crises in Berlin, Quemoy and Matsu, Laos, and Cuba, among others. During these critical moments and day-to-day containment of the USSR, the NETrade ReviewKaplan, dean of the School of Strategic Landpower at the US Army War College, explains in this thought-provoking book how the meaning of victory in the postwar era was transformed. For US presidents from Eisenhower to Kennedy, the significance of victory was reassessed because of the work of a little-known subcommittee of the National Security Council called the Net Evaluation Subcommittee. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Origins 2. Victory 3. Victory's Twilight 4. Prevailing in the Space Age 5. Finding the Optimum-Mix 6. From Forcible Action to Coercion 7. Testing Controlled Response 8. War Termination and NESC's End Conclusion

    1 in stock

    £32.30

  • Unraveling the Gray Area Problem

    Cornell University Press Unraveling the Gray Area Problem

    7 in stock

    Book Synopsis

    7 in stock

    £42.30

  • This Atom Bomb in Me

    Stanford University Press This Atom Bomb in Me

    Book SynopsisThis Atom Bomb in Me traces what it felt like to grow up suffused with American nuclear culture in and around the atomic city of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As a secret city during the Manhattan Project, Oak Ridge enriched the uranium that powered Little Boy, the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. The city was a major nuclear production site throughout the Cold War, adding something to each and every bomb in the United States arsenal. Even today, Oak Ridge contains the world's largest supply of fissionable uranium. The granddaughter of an atomic courier, Lindsey A. Freeman turns a critical yet nostalgic eye to the place where her family was sent as part of a covert government plan. Theirs was a city devoted to nuclear science within a larger America obsessed with its nuclear prowess. Through memories, mysterious photographs, and uncanny childhood toys, she shows how Reagan-era politics and nuclear culture irradiated the late twentieth century. Alternately tender and alarming, her book takes a Geiger counter to recent history, reading the half-life of the atomic past as it resonates in our tense nuclear present. Trade Review"In this book things radiate and travel—they're both material and immaterial, pulsing and still. Adding texture to the relationship between materiality and memory, Lindsey Freeman shows how tightly history and biography, social imaginaries and social worlds, are sewn together and emerge in scenes of everyday living." -- Kathleen Stewart * University of Texas at Austin *"These discrete vignettes spark off each other, collectively producing a text that is kaleidoscopic, wondrous, and witty. Sometimes richly comic, sometimes just quirky, but never sentimental or sugary, the writing is wry, the gaze jaundiced; there is love and affection but not affectation. Freeman presents us with an intricately conceived and intensely expressed structure of feeling, decked out here in vibrant hues." -- Graeme Gilloch * Lancaster University *"A gorgeously crafted memoir about the atomic sensorium of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Funny, wrenching, erudite. Gulp it down in a single sitting." -- Gabrielle Hecht * author of Being Nuclear *"With a scholar's rigor and a granddaughter's wistful heart, Lindsey Freeman reminds us—by atomizing memory and emotion with poetic authority—that nuclear might, at its core, is not a matter of techno-strategy, or even science, but a burden of the body, mind, and heart." -- Dan Zak * author of Almighty: Courage, Resistance and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age *"Narrated in a voice both wildly innocent and deeply wise, This Atom Bomb in Me creates an astonishing, provocative collage of text and image that challenges us to face the devastating history and legacy of the nuclear age. Lyrical and poignant, with a dose of good storytelling, Lindsey Freeman's book sings of the urgency of our times." -- Kristen Iversen * University of Cincinnati, author of Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats *"Through a tapestry of interwoven vignettes, Freeman...revisits the surreal side of her Reagan-era childhood in a beautiful and haunting memoir....[An] evocative, quietly probing account." -- Publisher's Weekly"In This Atom Bomb in Me, [Freeman] assembles her 'blocks of text' into an artistic structure as solid as the Comesto houses themselves and spacious enough to hold the heart of a sensitive and thoughtful child growing up in an unusual place...This Atom Bomb in Me is more than a memoir. It's also a work of social science, however unconventional." -- Tina Chambers * Chapter 16 *"Both the mundane and the mysterious irradiate this slim memoir, which builds into something more than just the remembrance of a uniquely situated adolescence in Reagan's America. In addition to an idiosyncratic consideration of memory and belonging, This Atom Bomb in Me offers a poetic exploration of how culture and identity synthesize each other." -- Will Wlizlo * Rain Taxi Review of Books *"This Atom Bomb in Me is a sensitive experiment in producing theory from the place of the wolf, the belly of memory....I read this short book voraciously twice." -- Yani Kong * Memory Studies *

    £18.89

  • Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics,

    Stanford University Press Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics,

    Book SynopsisA nuclear priesthood has arisen in Russia. From portable churches to the consecration of weapons systems, the Russian Orthodox Church has been integrated into every facet of the armed forces to become a vital part of Russian national security, politics, and identity. This extraordinary intertwining of church and military is nowhere more visible than in the nuclear weapons community, where the priesthood has penetrated all levels of command and the Church has positioned itself as a guardian of the state's nuclear potential. Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy considers how, since the Soviet collapse in 1991, the Church has worked its way into the nuclear forces, the most significant wing of one of the world's most powerful military organizations. Dmitry Adamsky describes how the Orthodox faith has merged with Russian national identity as the Church continues to expand its influence on foreign and domestic politics. The Church both legitimizes and influences Moscow's assertive national security strategy in the twenty-first century. This book sheds light on the role of faith in modern militaries and highlights the implications of this phenomenon for international security. Ultimately, Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy interrogates the implications of the confluence of religion and security for other members of the nuclear club, beyond Russia.Trade Review"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy is an extraordinary book that changes the way we think about the world, the use of nuclear weapons, and the role of religion in modern warfare."—Stephen Peter Rosen, Harvard University"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy is an outstanding account of how religion came to shape one of the most important security apparatuses of our times, Russia's nuclear forces. Dmitry Adamsky describes in riveting detail how the Orthodox Church, once banned from the armed forces entirely, came to influence the symbols, practices, and beliefs of Russian soldiers. Enthusiasts of Russian politics, security studies, or religion and politics, will delight in this book."—Ron E. Hassner, University of California, Berkeley"Dmitry Adamsky has given us a richly documented analysis of the post-Soviet nexus between religion, nationalism, and nuclear weapons in Russia. This highly original book throws new light on an intriguing development that has far-reaching implications for Russia's domestic politics as well as its national security policy. An important, pioneering work!"—David Holloway, Stanford University"No one but Dmitry Adamsky, with his scholarly persistence and ingenuity, his literary skill, and his insight into Russia's history, culture, and military mentality could have written this extraordinary book. Religion intersects with strategy in many ways, but this is a case that will astonish (and in some cases alarm) Western readers including some of the most sophisticated ones. A magnificent, fascinating, and altogether unique study."—Eliot A. Cohen, Johns Hopkins University"Adamsky has written a highly readable and informative book on a woefully understudied topic...To its great credit, the study goes well beyond the organizational aspects of the 'churchification' of the Russian military. Adamsky asks important questions regarding the tension between the generally peace-loving nature of Christianity and the glorification of the military that is found in the 21st century conception of Russian nuclear orthodoxy."—Dmitry Gorenburg, Harvard Davis Center; Russia Matters"Adamsky's Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy... should become required reading for all those involved in relations with Moscow and especially those in the Western security community....Adamsky has amassed so much evidence of Orthodoxy playing a role in the strategic nuclear community in Moscow that no Western analyst concerned about the possibility of a nuclear conflict can afford to ignore his findings or the light they throw on the thinking of Russian leaders and commanders."—Paul Goble, Eurasia Daily Monitor"What Adamsky demonstrates is nothing short of a remarkable transformation in Russian military and diplomatic worldview, captured in the term nuclear orthodoxy."—Robert J. Joustra, Providence"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxyis a seminal work on a very important topic. I urge readers to study this well-researched book in order to gain important insights into Russian church-state relations and their impact on the Russian nuclear community."—Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists"Adamsky's own background has provided him with a powerful lense to view the subject. The book proves him to be intimately familiar with rituals of faith and military might in post-Soviet Russia, but balances that intimacy with a cold and analytical eye."—Moscow Defense Brief"Adamsky's brilliant journey across Russian political-strategic culture...suggests that western society must appear to the denizens of the Kremlin as chaotic and easily destabilized, while their politics, in contrast, appear to them to be constant and unreachable in the firmament above."—James J. Wirtz, International Affairs"Dima Adamsky's Nuclear Orthodoxy is a must read—for laying out how the Orthodox Church has helped to create a new sacred, strategic narrative which puts Russia's defense spending and national-security posture into context."––Nikolas K. Gvosdev, The National Interest"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy...demonstrates convincingly that there are indeed important signs being missed all around us, pointing to a longstanding nexus between the Russian Orthodox Church and the country's nuclear-military-industrial complex. Adamsky's groundbreaking book lays out the largely unstudied history of how a nuclear priesthood emerged in Russia, permeated the units and commands in charge of Russia's nuclear forces, and became an integral part of the nuclear weapons industry."—Michael Kofman, War on the Rocks"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy...is a groundbreaking analysis exploring the intersection of religion, politics, and strategic affairs in Russia. A cogently argued and remarkably well-sourced analysis that is sure to become a staple in future scholastic research."—Nathaniel P. Lanaghan, Air & Space Power Journal"Not prone to culturally essentialist flights of fancy, Adamsky has shown a particular skill for interpreting the peculiar mixture of circumstances, organizations, and socio-cultural dispositions that shapes how militaries conceptualize and operationalize new ways of fighting."—Jon Askonas, Texas National Security Review"[An] insightful and meticulously sourced book....Adamsky's work is important because, if his analysis is correct, the trends that he documents have the potential to reshape the Russian nuclear science establishment, the Russian military, and Russia's policy toward nuclear weapons."—Anya Loukianova Fink, Texas National Security ReviewTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. State-Church Relations (1991–2000) 3. Faith-Nuclear Nexus (1991–2000) 4. Strategic Mythmaking (1991–2000) 5. State-Church Relations (2000–2010) 6. Faith-Nuclear Nexus (2000–2010) 7. Strategic Mythmaking (2000–2010) 8. State-Church Relations (2010–2020) 9. Faith-Nuclear Nexus (2010–2020) 10. Strategic Mythmaking (2010–2020) 11. Conclusion 12. Epilogue

    £100.00

  • Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics,

    Stanford University Press Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy: Religion, Politics,

    Book SynopsisA nuclear priesthood has arisen in Russia. From portable churches to the consecration of weapons systems, the Russian Orthodox Church has been integrated into every facet of the armed forces to become a vital part of Russian national security, politics, and identity. This extraordinary intertwining of church and military is nowhere more visible than in the nuclear weapons community, where the priesthood has penetrated all levels of command and the Church has positioned itself as a guardian of the state's nuclear potential. Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy considers how, since the Soviet collapse in 1991, the Church has worked its way into the nuclear forces, the most significant wing of one of the world's most powerful military organizations. Dmitry Adamsky describes how the Orthodox faith has merged with Russian national identity as the Church continues to expand its influence on foreign and domestic politics. The Church both legitimizes and influences Moscow's assertive national security strategy in the twenty-first century. This book sheds light on the role of faith in modern militaries and highlights the implications of this phenomenon for international security. Ultimately, Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy interrogates the implications of the confluence of religion and security for other members of the nuclear club, beyond Russia.Trade Review"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy is an extraordinary book that changes the way we think about the world, the use of nuclear weapons, and the role of religion in modern warfare."—Stephen Peter Rosen, Harvard University"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy is an outstanding account of how religion came to shape one of the most important security apparatuses of our times, Russia's nuclear forces. Dmitry Adamsky describes in riveting detail how the Orthodox Church, once banned from the armed forces entirely, came to influence the symbols, practices, and beliefs of Russian soldiers. Enthusiasts of Russian politics, security studies, or religion and politics, will delight in this book."—Ron E. Hassner, University of California, Berkeley"Dmitry Adamsky has given us a richly documented analysis of the post-Soviet nexus between religion, nationalism, and nuclear weapons in Russia. This highly original book throws new light on an intriguing development that has far-reaching implications for Russia's domestic politics as well as its national security policy. An important, pioneering work!"—David Holloway, Stanford University"No one but Dmitry Adamsky, with his scholarly persistence and ingenuity, his literary skill, and his insight into Russia's history, culture, and military mentality could have written this extraordinary book. Religion intersects with strategy in many ways, but this is a case that will astonish (and in some cases alarm) Western readers including some of the most sophisticated ones. A magnificent, fascinating, and altogether unique study."—Eliot A. Cohen, Johns Hopkins University"Adamsky has written a highly readable and informative book on a woefully understudied topic...To its great credit, the study goes well beyond the organizational aspects of the 'churchification' of the Russian military. Adamsky asks important questions regarding the tension between the generally peace-loving nature of Christianity and the glorification of the military that is found in the 21st century conception of Russian nuclear orthodoxy."—Dmitry Gorenburg, Harvard Davis Center; Russia Matters"Adamsky's Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy... should become required reading for all those involved in relations with Moscow and especially those in the Western security community....Adamsky has amassed so much evidence of Orthodoxy playing a role in the strategic nuclear community in Moscow that no Western analyst concerned about the possibility of a nuclear conflict can afford to ignore his findings or the light they throw on the thinking of Russian leaders and commanders."—Paul Goble, Eurasia Daily Monitor"What Adamsky demonstrates is nothing short of a remarkable transformation in Russian military and diplomatic worldview, captured in the term nuclear orthodoxy."—Robert J. Joustra, Providence"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxyis a seminal work on a very important topic. I urge readers to study this well-researched book in order to gain important insights into Russian church-state relations and their impact on the Russian nuclear community."—Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists"Adamsky's own background has provided him with a powerful lense to view the subject. The book proves him to be intimately familiar with rituals of faith and military might in post-Soviet Russia, but balances that intimacy with a cold and analytical eye."—Moscow Defense Brief"Adamsky's brilliant journey across Russian political-strategic culture...suggests that western society must appear to the denizens of the Kremlin as chaotic and easily destabilized, while their politics, in contrast, appear to them to be constant and unreachable in the firmament above."—James J. Wirtz, International Affairs"Dima Adamsky's Nuclear Orthodoxy is a must read—for laying out how the Orthodox Church has helped to create a new sacred, strategic narrative which puts Russia's defense spending and national-security posture into context."––Nikolas K. Gvosdev, The National Interest"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy...demonstrates convincingly that there are indeed important signs being missed all around us, pointing to a longstanding nexus between the Russian Orthodox Church and the country's nuclear-military-industrial complex. Adamsky's groundbreaking book lays out the largely unstudied history of how a nuclear priesthood emerged in Russia, permeated the units and commands in charge of Russia's nuclear forces, and became an integral part of the nuclear weapons industry."—Michael Kofman, War on the Rocks"Russian Nuclear Orthodoxy...is a groundbreaking analysis exploring the intersection of religion, politics, and strategic affairs in Russia. A cogently argued and remarkably well-sourced analysis that is sure to become a staple in future scholastic research."—Nathaniel P. Lanaghan, Air & Space Power Journal"Not prone to culturally essentialist flights of fancy, Adamsky has shown a particular skill for interpreting the peculiar mixture of circumstances, organizations, and socio-cultural dispositions that shapes how militaries conceptualize and operationalize new ways of fighting."—Jon Askonas, Texas National Security Review"[An] insightful and meticulously sourced book....Adamsky's work is important because, if his analysis is correct, the trends that he documents have the potential to reshape the Russian nuclear science establishment, the Russian military, and Russia's policy toward nuclear weapons."—Anya Loukianova Fink, Texas National Security ReviewTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. State-Church Relations (1991–2000) 3. Faith-Nuclear Nexus (1991–2000) 4. Strategic Mythmaking (1991–2000) 5. State-Church Relations (2000–2010) 6. Faith-Nuclear Nexus (2000–2010) 7. Strategic Mythmaking (2000–2010) 8. State-Church Relations (2010–2020) 9. Faith-Nuclear Nexus (2010–2020) 10. Strategic Mythmaking (2010–2020) 11. Conclusion 12. Epilogue

    £26.99

  • Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb

    Stanford University Press Atomic Steppe: How Kazakhstan Gave Up the Bomb

    Book SynopsisAtomic Steppe tells the untold true story of how the obscure country of Kazakhstan said no to the most powerful weapons in human history. With the fall of the Soviet Union, the marginalized Central Asian republic suddenly found itself with the world's fourth largest nuclear arsenal on its territory. Would it give up these fire-ready weapons—or try to become a Central Asian North Korea? This book takes us inside Kazakhstan's extraordinary and little-known nuclear history from the Soviet period to the present. For Soviet officials, Kazakhstan's steppe was not an ecological marvel or beloved homeland, but an empty patch of dirt ideal for nuclear testing. Two-headed lambs were just the beginning of the resulting public health disaster for Kazakhstan—compounded, when the Soviet Union collapsed, by the daunting burden of becoming an overnight nuclear power. Equipped with intimate personal perspective and untapped archival resources, Togzhan Kassenova introduces us to the engineers turned diplomats, villagers turned activists, and scientists turned pacifists who worked toward disarmament. With thousands of nuclear weapons still present around the world, the story of how Kazakhs gave up their nuclear inheritance holds urgent lessons for global security.Trade Review"Atomic Steppe is the untold story of how Kazakhstan rid itself of nuclear weapons—a remarkable accomplishment for a new nation. Togzhan Kassenova documents this momentous tale with depth, rigor, and skill. A revelatory, authoritative account of how the nuclear arms race went backwards, for once, making the world safer." —David E. Hoffman, author of The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy"Togzhan Kassenova's moving Atomic Steppe offers one of the first complete English-language accounts of the devastating but little-known nuclear history of Kazakhstan. The author successfully blends meticulous research with her own family's personal experience." —Sarah Cameron, author of The Hungry Steppe: Famine, Violence, and the Making of Soviet Kazakhstan"In this wonderful book, Togzhan Kassenova provides an intimate account of Kazakhstan's nuclear history and an acute analysis of how it handled its post-Soviet nuclear inheritance. Atomic Steppe is a deeply researched and profoundly affecting book, which everyone concerned about the nuclear state of the world should read." —David J. Holloway, author of Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939-1956"With the sweeping and inspiring Atomic Steppe, Togzhan Kassenova has unearthed insights new even to those of us who had front-row seats to Kazakhstan's nuclear saga, telling a story both accurate and humane. Anyone interested in Eurasia or in health, environmental, and nuclear challenges should read this engrossing book."—William Courtney, former US Ambassador to Kazakhstan"Togzhan Kassenova's remarkable Atomic Steppe offers both a scholarly and a deeply personal view of the damage that more than seventy years of nuclear testing have caused to the soil and the people of this region."—Michael D. Gordin, New York Review of Books"The beauty and magic of this brutalized landscape cannot be erased. Togzhan's book introduces us to the indomitable strength of itspeople, including those victimized by nuclear testing. They and we are in her debt."—Michael Krepon, Arms Control Wonk"Togzhan Kassenova's review of 70 years of Kazakhstan's history in Atomic Steppe is the definitive study of that country's nuclear inheritance and its associated internal politics and international diplomacy."—Laura Kennedy, Foreign Service Journal"Kassenova's masterpiece not only outlines the importance of patience, empathy and deftness in diplomacy, but also helps to recalculate the costs of nuclearization. By compellingly telling Kazakhstan's nuclear story, the author warns against ignoring the most important stakeholders of the nuclear non-proliferation regime: people."—Rabia Akhtar, International Affairs"Atomic Steppe is a book of two halves that have been fused together to create a perfect whole. The first half describes the legacy of Kazakhstan's Soviet nuclear weapon tests. Conversely, the second part explores Kazakhstan's subsequent independence and the rugged pathway towards its emergence as a nuclear-free state in the early 1990s It is completely unique, an absolute must read, and it will become an atomic classic of our time."—Becky Alexis-Martin, The Spokesman"Atomic Steppe has much to inspire in future scholarship. By decentering the narrative from the United States and USSR and focusing on the Kazakh perspective, Kassenova brings attention to stories that have been overshadowed or ignored. In detailing the diplomatic interactions between the US and Kazakhstan, and the rise of the anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan, Kassenova clearly demonstrates that the Kazakhs were active agents, rather than passive bystanders, in shaping their future."—Erin Chávez, H-Sci-Med-TechTable of Contents1. The Steppe 2. Forty Years of Nuclear Tests 3. The Human Toll 4. The Nation Rises 5. The Swan Song of the Soviet Union 6. Fears in Washington and Alma-Ata 7. A Temporary Nuclear Power 8. The Final Push 9. Project Sapphire and the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program 10. Farewell to Bombs 11. Epilogue: Reimagining the Atomic Steppe

    £92.80

  • Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise,

    Stanford University Press Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise,

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe definitive guide to the history of nuclear arms control by a wise eavesdropper and masterful storyteller, Michael Krepon. The greatest unacknowledged diplomatic achievement of the Cold War was the absence of mushroom clouds. Deterrence alone was too dangerous to succeed; it needed arms control to prevent nuclear warfare. So, U.S. and Soviet leaders ventured into the unknown to devise guardrails for nuclear arms control and to treat the Bomb differently than other weapons. Against the odds, they succeeded. Nuclear weapons have not been used in warfare for three quarters of a century. This book is the first in-depth history of how the nuclear peace was won by complementing deterrence with reassurance, and then jeopardized by discarding arms control after the Cold War ended. Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace tells a remarkable story of high-wire acts of diplomacy, close calls, dogged persistence, and extraordinary success. Michael Krepon brings to life the pitched battles between arms controllers and advocates of nuclear deterrence, the ironic twists and unexpected outcomes from Truman to Trump. What began with a ban on atmospheric testing and a nonproliferation treaty reached its apogee with treaties that mandated deep cuts and corralled "loose nukes" after the Soviet Union imploded. After the Cold War ended, much of this diplomatic accomplishment was cast aside in favor of freedom of action. The nuclear peace is now imperiled by no less than four nuclear-armed rivalries. Arms control needs to be revived and reimagined for Russia and China to prevent nuclear warfare. New guardrails have to be erected. Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace is an engaging account of how the practice of arms control was built from scratch, how it was torn down, and how it can be rebuilt.Trade Review"Michael Krepon, a child of the Cold War, dedicated his career to the effort to reduce the risk of a nuclear Armageddon. Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace is the culmination of his career. This chronicle of the leaders in Washington and Moscow who negotiated agreements to avert nuclear danger is powerful and wise."—Strobe Talbott, Former Deputy Secretary of State"Until now, there has been no comprehensive history of nuclear arms control; Michael Krepon's masterful Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace fills that ICBM-size hole in the field. A must-read to understand our past efforts to tame the nuclear arms race, so that we can pursue them successfully again."—Vipin Narang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology"Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace makes a uniquely important contribution to arms control literature. It is exceptionally well-written and clear, providing valuable insights into how we have managed to avoid a nuclear war these past 75 years, and how to continue that avoidance despite the collapse of treaties."—William J. Perry, Former Secretary of Defense"Krepon's refreshingly realist message is that the world is stuck in the nuclear age: the idea of abolishing nuclear weapons and the notion of finding war-winning strategies for their use are both forms of escapism."—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs"Michael Krepon's book Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise, and Revival of Arms Control comes at the perfect time... The book makes three important contributions. First, it should become the definitive text on the topic of arms control and the volume of choice for university courses on arms control, deterrence, and nuclear policy more broadly... Second, in telling such a detailed history, Krepon, albeit indirectly, provides a playbook for understanding when, why, and how arms control has succeeded in the past. This is a timely contribution. Finally, Krepon's vision for the future of arms control is an ambitious one that may face practical challenges but should inspire scholars to engage with the first principles of arms control."—Heather Williams, Arms Control Today"Krepon expertly stitches together a comprehensive historical account of arms control. As the title suggests, Krepon's scholarly endeavour traces the ebbs and flows of the US arms control journey. Using his knack for storytelling, the author brings to the fore how, in the United States, individual grit and political will trumped systemic reticence to embrace arms control."—Rabia Akhtar, International Affairs"Offer[ing] thoughtful arguments about the format and purpose of arms control in the past, present and future...Krepon's magisterial account emphasises the hard work and political vision that even a modest approach to arms control entails. Future generations of arms-controllers will find rich insights in this important book." –Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, Survival"Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peaceis a magisterial assessment of the entire eight decades of diplomatic history of nuclear arms control and its symbiotic relationship with deterrence. Michael Krepon covers both East-West negotiations and non-proliferation efforts world-wide, focusing on the people who made nuclear arms control and those who opposed them – their motives, tactics, the interactions among them, their successes and failures, as well as the political environments in which they operated. The book is written in an engaging prose making the subject accessible not just to experts, but also to general audiences and students. It is likely to remain the standard reference for many years"—American Academy of Diplomacy"Arms control is what states make of it. The criteria for its success or failure are often underspecified, leaving it open to an unnecessarily broad range of criticism. Krepon's magisterial account emphasises the hard work and political vision that even a modest approach to arms control entails. Future generations of arms-controllers will find rich insights in this important book."—Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, The Survival Editor's Blog"Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace is... a passing of the baton from one of the elder statesmen of American arms control – a baton wrapped in marching orders for a new generation of analysts and advocates."—Paul Esau, Canadian Military HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Prehistory of Nuclear Arms Control 2. Eisenhower's Halting Steps 3. Kennedy, Johnson, and Early Successes 4. Johnson and the Quest for Strategic Arms Control 5. Nixon, Kissinger, and the SALT I Accords 6. Nixon Falls and SALT II Stalls 7. Ford, Kissinger, and the Death of Détente 8. Carter, SALT II, and the Reckoning 9. Reagan's Roller Coaster Ride 10. Breakthrough 11. George H.W. Bush at Peak Performance 12. Consolidating Gains 13. Stalling Out 14. Shedding Treaties 15. Reality Overtakes Hope 16. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin 17. Reaffirming Norms, Reducing Numbers

    2 in stock

    £45.00

  • The Nuclear Club: How America and the World

    Stanford University Press The Nuclear Club: How America and the World

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Nuclear Club reveals how a coalition of powerful and developing states embraced global governance in hopes of a bright and peaceful tomorrow. While fears of nuclear war were ever-present, it was the perceived threat to their preeminence that drove Washington, Moscow, and London to throw their weight behind the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) banishing nuclear testing underground, the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco banning atomic armaments from Latin America, and the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) forbidding more countries from joining the most exclusive club on Earth. International society, the Cold War, and the imperial U.S. presidency were reformed from 1945 to 1970, when a global nuclear order was inaugurated, averting conflict in the industrial North and yielding what George Orwell styled a "peace that is no peace" everywhere else. Today the nuclear order legitimizes foreign intervention worldwide, empowering the nuclear club and, above all, the United States, to push sanctions and even preventive war against atomic outlaws, all in humanity's name.Trade Review"The Nuclear Club exposes a founding myth of the postwar order: that if great powers no longer fought each other, a more peaceful world would result. Jonathan Hunt shows how Cold War diplomacy defined who could intervene, be it for nuclear non-proliferation or "humanitarian" reasons, and how these interventions ultimately undermined the peacekeeping basis of the UN Charter."—Elizabeth Borgwardt, author of A New Deal for the World: America's Vision for Human Rights"In this ambitious and deeply researched study, Jonathan Hunt presents a sweeping international history of the rise and establishment of the nuclear non-proliferation regime after 1945. Packed with insightful analysis and telling detail, The Nuclear Club fills an important gap in our knowledge of the nuclear age."—Matthew Jones, London School of Economics and Political Science"The Nuclear Club is eye-opening. Jonathan Hunt excavates the history of nuclear nonproliferation to reveal the central paradoxes at the heart of international relations. Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, this book is a must-read for anyone concerned with the past, present, and future of world order."—Andrew Preston, author of American Foreign Relations: A Very Short Introduction"Jonathan Hunt's The Nuclear Club is a major achievement. It both traces the many failed efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons in the early 1960s and lifts the curtain in front of the international negotiations that finally led to the landmark Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1968."—Scott D. Sagan, Stanford University"Detailing the creation of the NPT, Hunt's narrative interweaves three sets of simultaneous negotiations: the internal haggling within the Western bloc led by the US, the Cold War diplomacy between the West and the Soviet-led East, and the bargaining between industrialized powers of the North and the developing states of the Global South.... Recommended."—C. W. Sherrill, CHOICE

    1 in stock

    £68.00

  • Hinge Points: An Inside Look at North Korea's

    Stanford University Press Hinge Points: An Inside Look at North Korea's

    2 in stock

    Book SynopsisNorth Korea remains a puzzle to Americans. How did this country—one of the most isolated in the world and in the policy cross hairs of every U.S. administration during the past 30 years—progress from zero nuclear weapons in 2001 to a threatening arsenal of perhaps 50 such weapons in 2021? Hinge Points brings readers literally inside the North Korean nuclear program, joining Siegfried Hecker to see what he saw and hear what he heard in his visits to North Korea from 2004 to 2010. Hecker goes beyond the technical details—described in plain English from his on-the-ground experience at the North's nuclear center at Yongbyon—to put the nuclear program exactly where it belongs, in the context of decades of fateful foreign policy decisions in Pyongyang and Washington. Describing these decisions as "hinge points," he traces the consequences of opportunities missed by both sides. The result has been that successive U.S. administrations have been unable to prevent the North, with the weakest of hands, from becoming one of only three countries in the world that might target the United States with nuclear weapons. Hecker's unique ability to marry the technical with the diplomatic is well informed by his interactions with North Korean and U.S. officials over many years, while his years of working with Russian, Chinese, Indian, and Pakistani nuclear officials have given him an unmatched breadth of experience from which to view and interpret the thinking and perspective of the North Koreans. Trade Review"Hinge Points is a must-read for any serious practitioner of foreign relations. Siegfried Hecker lays out a riveting narrative derived from his "man in the ring" experiences over several decades. His deep insights are highly relevant to the challenges deriving from a nuclear-capable North Korea playing out in real-time."—Vincent K. Brooks, General, U.S. Army (Retired)"With dramatic visits to North Korea's long-closed nuclear facilities, and a full cast of top nuclear scientists and diplomats, Hinge Points offers a remarkable account of how North Korea became a nuclear power. Only Siegfried Hecker could have written this sobering tale of why and how the US—with worrying consequences—continues to get North Korea wrong."—Mike Chinoy, USC US-China Institute"Written by a scientist who has actually walked around North Korea's nuclear complex, Hinge Points is a piercing analysis of the decades-long failure to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. With unparalleled mastery of both technical details and diplomatic complexities, Siegfried Hecker lays bare the history in a way that opens a future path to progress."—John Delury, Yonsei University"With Hinge Points, Siegfried Hecker offers unique insights into North Korea' dangerous nuclear program. And no-one is better qualified to do so. Hecker has visited the North and talked with their nuclear experts many times—and has held their plutonium in his (gloved) hand."—William J. Perry 19th U.S. Secretary of Defense"Hinge Points is an excellent book full of fascinating people and science and first-rate analysis from a man who has seen North Korea firsthand and knows better than most the dangers of a nuclear stand-off. The book lays bare Washington's missed opportunities to create a more stable and prosperous Korean Peninsula, as well as the difficult questions facing policymakers in the White House, Pyongyang and beyond."—David Tizzard, NK News"As the former head of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Hecker had unique opportunities to visit North Korean nuclear facilities between 2004 and 2010 and played a role in the negotiations intended to stop North Korea from becoming a credible nuclear power. Here, he describes the failure of that diplomatic effort."—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs"Unlike other physical scientists who have turned their hands to policy, Hecker understands the complexities without trying to reduce them to simple solutions. His frustration at the lack of progress with North Korea is palpable and a refreshing contrast to the tired cynicism of experts in Washington who believe that Pyongyang is a hopeless case yet refuse to adopt different approaches. One can only hope Hecker has another chance to visit North Korea to brighten the prospects for diplomacy."—Sharon Squassoni, Arms Control Today"Hecker dives into the technical detail and, with the mastery of a medieval alchemist, transforms it into the gold of plain English."—Glyn Ford, Asian Affairs"Hinge Points provides a trenchant critique of the failed attempts of the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations to denuclearize North Korea.... Highly recommended."—M. E. Carranza, CHOICE"Hecker is correct to suggest that the Korean question is the most urgent unsolved long-term crisis in global politics. Hinge Points serves as a very useful overview of the problem. Anyone concerned with international politics needs to read this study drawing the general public's attention to the potential tinderbox of war that is East Asia."—James Flowers, H-Sci-Med-TechTable of Contents1. Introduction 2. Nuclear Background 3. The state of play prior to January 2004 trip. 4. Would you like to see our product? The improbable visit to North Korea. 5. Disastrous consequences of Bolton's hammer. 6. 2005: Back to North Korea. Vice Minister Kim Gye Gwan – "No LWR, no deal." Bob Joseph – "No LWR till pigs fly." 7. Kim Jong Il - Buying time. 8. "Tell America, it worked and North Korean people are filled with pride." 9. Back to the negotiating table. 10. 2007 and 2008 visits. Back to Yongbyon to confirm disablement. 11. 2008 – Almost there, but it all falls apart. 12. 2009: You don't know how bad it will get." 13. 2009 and 2010: Clenching the fist instead of reaching for Obama's outstretched hand. 14. 2010 visit – "Tomorrow, you will have a bigger surprise." 15. November 2010 to April 2012 – Leap Day Deal goes up in smoke along with DPRK rocket. 16. Does the U.S. blow the Leap Day Deal up over one stupid rocket launch? 17. From Strategic Patience to Benign Neglect. 18. The "Fire and Fury" of 2017. 19. From the Olympics to Singapore. 20. The train wreck in Hanoi. 21. Summary and closing observations.

    2 in stock

    £30.60

  • The Nuclear Club: How America and the World

    Stanford University Press The Nuclear Club: How America and the World

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThe Nuclear Club reveals how a coalition of powerful and developing states embraced global governance in hopes of a bright and peaceful tomorrow. While fears of nuclear war were ever-present, it was the perceived threat to their preeminence that drove Washington, Moscow, and London to throw their weight behind the 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT) banishing nuclear testing underground, the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco banning atomic armaments from Latin America, and the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) forbidding more countries from joining the most exclusive club on Earth. International society, the Cold War, and the imperial U.S. presidency were reformed from 1945 to 1970, when a global nuclear order was inaugurated, averting conflict in the industrial North and yielding what George Orwell styled a "peace that is no peace" everywhere else. Today the nuclear order legitimizes foreign intervention worldwide, empowering the nuclear club and, above all, the United States, to push sanctions and even preventive war against atomic outlaws, all in humanity's name.Trade Review"The Nuclear Club exposes a founding myth of the postwar order: that if great powers no longer fought each other, a more peaceful world would result. Jonathan Hunt shows how Cold War diplomacy defined who could intervene, be it for nuclear non-proliferation or "humanitarian" reasons, and how these interventions ultimately undermined the peacekeeping basis of the UN Charter."—Elizabeth Borgwardt, author of A New Deal for the World: America's Vision for Human Rights"In this ambitious and deeply researched study, Jonathan Hunt presents a sweeping international history of the rise and establishment of the nuclear non-proliferation regime after 1945. Packed with insightful analysis and telling detail, The Nuclear Club fills an important gap in our knowledge of the nuclear age."—Matthew Jones, London School of Economics and Political Science"The Nuclear Club is eye-opening. Jonathan Hunt excavates the history of nuclear nonproliferation to reveal the central paradoxes at the heart of international relations. Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, this book is a must-read for anyone concerned with the past, present, and future of world order."—Andrew Preston, author of American Foreign Relations: A Very Short Introduction"Jonathan Hunt's The Nuclear Club is a major achievement. It both traces the many failed efforts to halt the spread of nuclear weapons in the early 1960s and lifts the curtain in front of the international negotiations that finally led to the landmark Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 1968."—Scott D. Sagan, Stanford University"Detailing the creation of the NPT, Hunt's narrative interweaves three sets of simultaneous negotiations: the internal haggling within the Western bloc led by the US, the Cold War diplomacy between the West and the Soviet-led East, and the bargaining between industrialized powers of the North and the developing states of the Global South.... Recommended."—C. W. Sherrill, CHOICE

    1 in stock

    £23.79

  • Radioactive Ghosts

    University of Minnesota Press Radioactive Ghosts

    Book SynopsisA pioneering examination of nuclear trauma, the continuing and new nuclear peril, and the subjectivities they generate Amid resurgent calls for widespread nuclear energy and “limited nuclear war,” the populations that must live with the consequences of these decisions are increasingly insecure. The nuclear peril combined with the looming threat of climate change means that we are seeing the formation of a new kind of subjectivity: humans who are in a position of perpetual ontological insecurity. In Radioactive Ghosts, Gabriele Schwab articulates a vision of these “nuclear subjectivities” that we all live with. Focusing on the legacies of the Manhattan Project, Hiroshima, and nuclear energy politics, Radioactive Ghosts takes us on a tour of the little-seen sides of our nuclear world. Examining devastating uranium mining on Native lands, nuclear sacrifice zones, the catastrophic accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and the formation of a new transspecies ethics, Schwab shows how individuals threatened with extinction are creating new adaptations, defenses, and communal spaces. Ranging from personal accounts of experiences with radiation to in-depth readings of literature, film, art, and scholarly works, Schwab gives us a complex, idiosyncratic, and personal analysis of one of the most overlooked issues of our time.Trade Review"This book, a wake-up call and a tour de force of wide-ranging interdisciplinary scholarship, is beautifully written and accessible; Gabriele Schwab moves nuclear power discourse further by focusing on aspects rarely addressed together, like psychic, racial, gender and class implications. Her short personal interludes add yet another layer of meaning. Radioactive Ghosts should be required reading for everyone hoping the human species can survive."—E. Ann Kaplan, author of Climate Trauma: Foreseeing the Future in Dystopian Film and Literature"The innocent sounding Manhattan project forever put a Damocles sword on human existence. The first uranium that made the Project possible was dug from Africa. Drawing parallels between the extraction of uranium and the extraction of slave labor, Gabriele Schwab shows the prominent role of colonialism and race in the politics of nuclear production and possession. Radioactive Ghosts, with its clarity of prose and thought, reminds us that we humans have only the one planet. Why, oh, why should any nation be proud that they have the capacity to destroy all planetary life? Exorcise these radioactive ghosts by banning and destroying all these weapons of human destruction. End this MADNESS."—Ngugi wa Thiong'o, author of Wrestling with the Devil "Gabrielle Schwab’s thought-provoking book makes a timely contribution to the on-going nuclear debate."—Journal of Peace ResearchTable of ContentsContentsPreface: Of Three-Eyed Fish and Other GhostingsIntroduction: Why Nuclear Necropolitics Today?Part I. Nuclear Subjectivities1. No Apocalypse, Not Now: Derrida and the Nuclear Unconscious2. Nuclear Colonialism3. Critical Nuclear Race Theory4. The Gender of Nuclear SubjectivitiesInterlude: Children of the Nuclear AgeWith Simon J. OrtizPart II. Haunting from the Future5. The Afterlife of Nuclear Catastrophes6. Hiroshima’s Ghostly Shadows7. Postnuclear Madness and Nuclear Crypts8. Transspecies Selves: Intimacies, Extimacies, AnimaciesCoda: Postnuclear Ecologies: Language, Body, and Affect in Beckett’s Happy DaysAcknowledgmentsNotesIndex

    £80.00

  • Truman and the Bomb: The Untold Story

    Potomac Books Inc Truman and the Bomb: The Untold Story

    1 in stock

    Book Synopsis Many myths have grown up around President Harry S. Truman’s decision to use nuclear weapons against Imperial Japan. In destroying these myths, Truman and the Bomb will discomfort both Truman’s critics and his supporters, and force historians to reexamine what they think they know about the end of the Pacific War.Myth: Truman didn’t know of the atomic bomb’s development before he became president. Fact: Truman’s knowledge of the bomb is revealed in his own carefully worded letters to a Senate colleague and specifically discussed in the correspondence between the army officers assigned to his Senate investigating committee.Myth: The huge casualty estimates cited by Truman and Secretary of War Henry Stimson were a postwar creation devised to hide their guilt for killing thousands of defenseless civilians. Fact: The flagrantly misrepresented “low” numbers are based on narrow slices of highly qualified—and limited—U.S. Army projections printed in a variety of briefing documents and are not from the actual invasion planning against Japan.Myth: Truman wanted to defeat Japan without any assistance from the Soviet Union and to freeze the USSR out of the postwar settlements. Fact: President Franklin D. Roosevelt and President Truman desperately wanted Stalin’s involvement in the bloody endgame of World War II and worked diligently—and successfully—toward that end. Using previously unpublished material, D. M. Giangreco busts these myths and more. An award-winning historian and expert on Truman, Giangreco is perfectly situated to debunk the many deep-rooted falsehoods about the roles played by American, Soviet, and Japanese leaders during the end of the World War II in the Pacific. Truman and the Bomb, a concise yet comprehensive study of Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb, will prove to be a classic for studying presidential politics and influence on atomic warfare and its military and diplomatic components. Making this book particularly valuable for professors and students as well as for military, diplomatic, and presidential historians and history buffs are extensive primary source materials, including the planned U.S. naval and air operations in support of the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. These documents support Giangreco’s arguments while enabling the reader to enter the mindsets of Truman and his administration as well as the war’s key Allied participants. Trade Review"Giangreco's close analysis of these documents is thought-provoking, and makes a strong case that Truman believed dropping the bomb would save lives. Readers will come away with new insights into a world-changing event."—Publishers Weekly"Truman and the Bomb is relevant to today's national security professionals. Giangreco delivers a highly readable account that touches on the political and military aspects of a key presidential decision during war. This momentous decision during World War II is still felt today."—Clayton K. S. Chun, Parameters"Giangreco is a most able and indefatigable military historian who has made important contributions to the long-running debate over the use of the atomic bombs in August 1945."—Wilson D. Miscamble, Missouri Historical Review“D. M. Giangreco’s sweeping critique of revisionist interpretations of President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan is certain to stir renewed controversy. Giangreco vividly recreates the passion and emotion of the summer of 1945 in a first-rate account of the decision to use the weapon and the postwar historiography surrounding its use. Relying on documentary evidence, he highlights the stark difference between accuracy and opinion in historical writing.”—Edward J. Drea, author of Japan’s Imperial Army: Its Rise and Fall“Those who continue to cling to the belief that there was another way forward than dropping the atomic bombs, and who wish to retain their intellectual integrity, must read this book. D. M. Giangreco continues to lean on the stake driven through the heart of obsolete arguments from the 1960s antiwar movement, popular culture, and 1980s antinuclear academia that continue to reach out from the grave today.”—Sean M. Maloney, author of Emergency War Plan: The American Doomsday Machine, 1945–1960“[D. M. Giangreco has] demolished the claim that President Truman’s high casualty estimates were a postwar invention.”—Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.“Dennis Giangreco has rendered obsolete most of what has been written on the subject.”—Robert James Maddox, professor emeritus of history at Pennsylvania State University and author of key books and articles on the history of the atomic bomb and American foreign policyTable of Contents List of Illustrations Foreword John T. Kuehn Prologue: The Debate 1. The Manhattan Project: What Did Truman Know and When Did He Know It? 2. Projects Milepost and Hula: America’s Hidden Role in the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria 3. Roosevelt, Stalin, and Poland: The Tehran, Moscow, and Yalta Conferences 4. A New President: “The Storm Broke Almost at Once” 5. Truman’s White House Meeting: “My Hardest Decision” 6. “I’ve Gotten What I Came For”: Potsdam, the Bomb, and Soviet Entry into the War Appendixes A. Air-Raid Casualties and Property Damage in Japan B. Memorandum on Ending the Japanese War C. The Historiography of Hiroshima: The Rise and Fall of Revisionism Michael Kort D. The Manhattan Project: A Chronology of Its Expansion and Subsequent Congressional Investigations E. “Between You, the Boss [Truman], and Me” F. Secretary of War Henry Stimson to Truman on Atom Bomb Development G. U.S. Navy Combatant Ships under Project Hula H. Agreement regarding the Entry of the Soviet Union into the War against Japan I. Secretary Stimson’s Proposed Program for Japan J. Proposal for Increasing the Scope of Casualties Studies K. Discussion of American Casualties at President Truman’s Meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Service Secretaries, June 18, 1945 L. General Thomas Handy’s Atomic Bomb Authorization M. Atomic Bomb Press Release N. Potsdam Declaration, July 26, 1945 O. Truman-Stalin Meeting at Potsdam P. Tripartite Military Meeting of the U.S., Soviet, and British Chiefs of Staff, July 26, 1945 Q. Planned U.S. Naval and Air Operations in Support of the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria R. Extract from the Log of the President’s Trip to the Berlin Conference, July 18, 1945 Notes Index

    1 in stock

    £26.99

  • The Secret of Emu Field: Britain’s forgotten

    NewSouth Publishing The Secret of Emu Field: Britain’s forgotten

    Book SynopsisEmu Field is overshadowed by Maralinga, the larger and much more prominent British atomic test site about 193 kilometres to the south. But Emu Field has its own secrets, and the fact that it was largely forgotten makes it more intriguing. Only at Emu Field did a terrifying black mist speed across the land after an atomic bomb detonation, bringing death and sickness to Aboriginal populations in its path. Emu Field was difficult and inaccessible. So why did the British go there at all, when they knew that they wouldn't stay? What happened to the air force crew who flew through the atomic clouds? And why is Emu Field considered the 'Marie Celeste' of atomic test sites, abandoned quickly after the expense and effort of setting it up? Elizabeth Tynan, the award-winning author of Atomic Thunder: The Maralinga Story, reveals a story of a cataclysmic collision between an ancient Aboriginal land and the post-war Britain of Winston Churchill and his gung-ho scientific advisor Frederick Lindemann. The presence of local A?angu people did not interfere with Churchill's geopolitical aims and they are still paying the price. The British undertook Operation Totem at Emu Field under cover of extreme remoteness and secrecy, a shroud of mystery that continues to this day.

    £19.76

  • Averting Nuclear War

    Springer International Publishing AG Averting Nuclear War

    1 in stock

    Book SynopsisThis timely book offers a comprehensive examination of the current state of nuclear stability postures worldwide, effectively highlighting their inherent limitations. Through their analysis, the authors illustrate how the seemingly contradictory perspectives of deterrence optimists, disarmament idealists, and warfighting pessimists can be reconfigured into a unified approach towards achieving regional and global peace. They suggest that these strategies can be reconciled as complementary, rather than substitute approaches, to achieve the common goal of nuclear stability.To achieve this objective, the book employs a game-theoretical framework to analytically define the conditions for nuclear war. Drawing from extensive observations of significant crises, the model incorporates identifiable systemic regularities that influence the strategic decision-making process during severe crises and establish the prerequisites for different levels of nuclear confrontation. Additionally, by tracing the strategic-technological trajectories of nuclear powers, the authors present a novel analysis that explores the potential for stable coexistence to replace unstable confrontation between global powers, ultimately fostering nuclear peace.The author's theoretical explorations lead to the policy conclusion that establishing a nuclear oligopolistic hierarchy, under the leadership of preponderant global powers committed to a no-first-use pledge, presents the most effective international system for enhancing both regional and global nuclear stability. This book aims to surpass the Cold War origins of current nuclear strategy and develop a comprehensive policy framework that guarantees enduring nuclear stability in the contemporary world.Table of ContentsForeword by Ronald Tammen1. IntroductionThis chapter overviews currently contradictory nuclear arguments by advocates of disarmament, deterrence, and warfighting. Outside of the realm of deterrence looms the possibility that non-state agents will acquire and use dirty bombs. Strategies to deal with this increasingly likely contingency are not in place. As we move to a nuclear world beyond deterrence, we emphasize a need for the new strategic guidance to prevent the critical threats to human existence as we face an increasingly complex array of nuclear challenges. 2. 2. The Size and Scope of Nuclear Arsenals This chapter provides a chronological snapshot of nuclear proliferation. We show that evolving technology and lack of commitment to established deterrence strategies causes the drastic rise in the size and composition of nuclear arsenals. We e valuate the implications of primary events of nuclear competitions, including the arms race of strategic weapons, the deployment of tactical warheads, the transfer of weapons to regional powers. The decision of voluntary denuclearization is an important step that because of the lack of commitment by global nuclear powers has not secured societies that choose to do so. 3. 3. The Evolution of Nuclear Deterrence in Theory and Practice This chapter documents and analytically defines how and why the nuclear deterrence postures have shifted from Bernard Brodie's no-first-use doctrine under Massive Retaliation (MR) to Kenneth Waltz's neorealist principle of balance of terror under Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). We identify theoretical and practical inconsistency shared by both perspectives and evaluate the recent emergence of nuclear warfighting philosophy. 4. 4.The Evolution of Disarmament in theory and Practice Past works view deterrence and disarmament as alternate but contradictory paths to nuclear stability. We show that they are two sides of the similar attempts to reduce the likelihood of nuclear war. Although the Global Zero movement has been endorsed by a vast number of academics and practitioners, this chapter shows that a major obstacle to such a disarmament proposal is the lack of trust among global powers that voids any attempts at enforceability. The practical alternative are regional nuclear-free zones first implemented after the Treaty of Tlatelolco that have now been adopted by the majority of nations south of the Equator. We show how and why NFZ can complement nuclear stability provided that the global nuclear powers guarantee regional stability. 5. 5. The Rise of Nuclear Warfighting Strategies This chapter investigates the dynamics of nuclear escalation and the development of tactical nuclear strategies. Exploring the evolution of warfighting strategies from their early inception, we first examine salient aspects of early counterforce and countervalue strategies. We then assess the tactical aspects of escalation theory evaluating the likely success if tactical nuclear strikes to prevent escalation. 6. Based on discussions from previous chapters, we develop a novel model that identifies and addresses all domains of nuclear challenges capable of inflicting grave loss of life and economic devastation. Unlike previous perspectives, our specification incorporates (a) the interaction between conventional and nuclear capabilities, (b) the policy motivation based on status quo evaluations and inter-state trust that can alter the perception of the security environment, and (c) the physical exposure to retaliation as the measurable component in the calculus of war. Our model Integrating Deterrence, Disarmament and War Fighting Strategies identifying the necessary but not sufficient conditions for different levels of nuclear war and those required for peace. requirements 7. 6. Long Term Stability Beyond Deterrence This chapter summarizes the implications of our perspective on nuclear stability. We show that deterrence under Massive Retaliation (MR) is unstable since a dissatisfied challenger with military superiority likely makes nuclear blackmail. Deterrence under Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) is tenuous at global or regional levels since only under the balance of terror generated by nuclear parity military disputes can escalate to massive all-out nuclear war. We show that formulating and adopting warfighting strategies may potentially reduce costs of limited nuclear war but is unlikely to avert escalating conflicts at nuclear parity. Lack of experience at this level of carnage and the lack of effective escalation theory identifying the cost threshold when war would stop is still missing (conventional conflict seldom exceeded 25% loss in any nation – such levels can be achieved in the nuclear era in days not years). On the positive side we show that disarmament at the regional level can induce regional stability. We show that particularly to the Middle East a NFZ can enhance stability. To generalize the benefits of NFZ we advocate the creation of a new, veto free Nuclear Security Council composed only of the few global nuclear powers. Once in place this institution would allow any global nuclear power to respond to a first strike in any region and particularly against any member of an NFZ. On a less optimistic note, we show that “global-zero” is not a feasible option today and can be considered only after establishing a trust-based security scheme. The preconditions for such a venture are simply not in place. Appendix 1: Systematic Analysis of Nuclear Crisis Outcomes This work summaries using an agent-based perspective the evolution and resolution of all nuclear crisis. We refer to these cases throughout the book. 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