Synopses & Reviews
A leading strategist opens our eyes to the greatest terrorist threat of all-and how to prevent it before it's too late
Americans in the twenty-first century are keenly aware of the many forms of terrorism: hijackings, biological attacks, chemical weapons. But rarely do we allow ourselves to face squarely the deadliest form of terrorism, because it is almost too scary to think about-a terrorist group exploding a nuclear device in an American city.
In this urgent call to action, Graham Allison, one of America's leading experts on nuclear weapons and national security, presents the evidence for two provocative, compelling conclusions. First, if policy makers in Washington keep doing what they are currently doing about the threat, a nuclear terrorist attack on America is likely to occur in the next decade. And if one lengthens the time frame, a nuclear strike is inevitable. Second, the surprising and largely unrecognized good news is that nuclear terrorism is, in fact, preventable. In these pages, Allison offers an ambitious but feasible blueprint for eliminating the possibility of nuclear terrorist attacks.
The United States once relied on the threat of mutually assured destruction to deter the Soviet Union from launching a nuclear strike. But in today's fragmented world, a new strategy is needed, especially with nuclear material vulnerable to theft or sale through black-market channels.
The choice is ours: to grab this beast by the horns or to be impaled on those horns. We do not have the luxury of hoping the problem will go away, and Allison shows why.
Review
"[A] somber but unfailingly attention-getting litany. We can stop the nuclear threat cold, Allison argues but only by taking it seriously. His criticisms seem eminently well founded and deserving of discussion and debate." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Graham Allison's Nuclear Terrorism is absolutely first-rate. Our survival as a civilization may well depend more than anything else on our heeding the recommendations of this chilling and superbly crafted book." R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence
Review
"Graham Allison is a latter day Paul Revere, calling citizens to arms against the real and rising threat of nuclear terrorism. In clear, readable words of wisdom, Allison tells us 'everything we ever wanted to know about nuclear terrorism,' but he also tells us what we must do to prevent nuclear terrorism. For everyone from national security specialists trying to define a strategy to parents who want to leave their children a world worth living in, Graham Allison's book is essential reading." Sam Nunn, former U.S. Senator and co-chairman, Nuclear Threat Initiative
Review
"Graham Allison has produced a book that it is truly alarming about the danger of nuclear terror yet optimistic about our prospects if we do all that we could and should. One only hopes it is read and heeded." Richard Haass, president, Council on Foreign Relations
Synopsis
In this timely book, one of America's leading experts on nuclear weapons and national security presents the evidence that, if policy makers in Washington keep doing what they are currently doing about the threat, a nuclear terrorist attack on America is more likely than not in the decade ahead.
Synopsis
"Allison's comprehensive but accessible treatment of this vital subject is a major contribution to public understanding." -The New York Times Book Review Americans in the twenty-first century are keenly aware of the many forms of terrorism: hijackings, biological attacks, chemical weapons. But the deadliest form is almost too scary to think about-a terrorist group exploding a nuclear device in an American city.
In this urgent call to action, Graham Allison, one of America's leading experts on nuclear weapons and national security, presents the evidence for two provocative, compelling conclusions. First, if policy makers in Washington keep doing what they are currently doing about the threat, a nuclear terrorist attack on America is inevitable. Second, the surprising and largely unrecognized good news is that nuclear terrorism is, in fact, preventable. In these pages, Allison offers an ambitious but feasible blueprint for eliminating the possibility of nuclear terrorist attacks, if we are willing to face the issue squarely.
Synopsis
Expanded from an article that created a stir in foreign policy circles, Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons makes an explosive case that these weapons just don't work.
Synopsis
An explosive rethinking of the power and purpose of nuclear weapons andmdash; and a call for radical action Nuclear weapons have always been a serious but seemingly insoluble problem: while theyandrsquo;re obviously dangerous, they are also, apparently, necessary. This groundbreaking study shows why five central arguments promoting nuclear weapons are, in essence, myths. It is a myth:
andbull; that nuclear weapons necessarily shock and awe opponents, including Japan at the end of World War II
andbull; that nuclear deterrence is reliable in a crisis
andbull; that destruction wins wars
andbull; that the bomb has kept the peace for sixty-five years
andbull; and that we canandrsquo;t put the nuclear genie back in the bottle
Drawing on new information and the latest historical research, Wilson poses a fundamental challenge to the myths on which nuclear weapons policy is currently built. Using pragmatic arguments and an unemotional, clear-eyed insistence on the truth, he arrives at a surprising conclusion: nuclear weapons are enormously dangerous, but donandrsquo;t appear to be terribly useful. In that case, he asks, why would we want to keep them?
This book will be widely read and discussed by everyone who cares about war, peace, foreign policy, and security in the twenty-first century.
About the Author
Graham Allison, founding dean of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government. He served as assistant secretary of defense for policy and plans and is the author of Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis. He lives in Belmont, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Introductionand#8195;xiiiMythand#8201;1
NUCLEAR WEAPONS SHOCK AND AWE OPPONENTS and#8195;1
Mythand#8201;2
H-BOMB QUANTUM LEAPand#8195;33
Mythand#8201;3
NUCLEAR DETERRENCE WORKS IN A CRISISand#8195;45
Mythand#8201;4
NUCLEAR WEAPONS KEEP US SAFEand#8195;66
Mythand#8201;5
THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVEand#8195;83
Conclusionand#8195;99
Acknowledgmentsand#8195;106
Notesand#8195;110
Bibliographyand#8195;129
Indexand#8195;160