The Nuclear Nightmares Still Lurking in Our World
This week our featured book is Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It Is Too Late by Joseph Cirincione. Throughout the week, we will be featuring content about the book and its author on our blog as well as on our Twitter feed and our Facebook page. Today, we have a guest post from Joseph Cirincione in which he discusses the ongoing and worldwide danger from nuclear weapons.
Don’t forget to enter our book giveaway for a chance to win a free copy of Nuclear Nightmares!
The Nuclear Nightmares Still Lurking in Our World
Joe Cirincione
Most people think that the threat of nuclear weapons ended with the Cold War. They are dead wrong. Nuclear weapons still pose a clear and present danger, in the Middle East, in South Asia, on the Korean Peninsula and here in the United States.
My new book, Nuclear Nightmares: Securing the World Before It’s Too Late, takes us on a journey through today’s nuclear challenges, and lays out a clear path for how we can make the world safer, one step at a time.
Rachel Maddow, host of her own MSNBC show, was very gracious in her praise for the book. She says,
Nuclear Nightmares should be required reading for every beltway journalist, every student of policy, and everyone who can’t quite get their head around the thousands of nuclear bombs we’re maintaining right now, ready to launch, even though no one can quite explain why on earth we would ever launch them.
I know that even if you read the newspaper daily, nuclear policy can be a challenge. It’s full of jargon, has a long and complicated backstory and seems to require a working knowledge of physics. So, in this book, I give an easily accessible guide to the leading issues today.
For example, did you know that…
• The United States still plans to spend roughly $650 billion over the next decade on nuclear weapons and related programs? Well, its true, even though most military leaders don’t believe nuclear weapons are useful for our 21st century security challenges. Amazingly, nuclear weapons have been exempted from sequester budget cuts, while programs that troops need now are being cut.
• The world’s most pressing nuclear challenge is Pakistan? With an unstable government, a collapsing economy, jihadist influences in its military and intelligence services, enough material for 200 bombs, and the constant risk of war with India, Pakistan just might be the world’s most dangerous nation.
• We have the best chance we’ve had in decades to end the threat from Iran’s nuclear program? The domestic debate in both Iran and the United States will be fierce, but a diplomatic solution is possible and desirable for both nations.
Nuclear Nightmares goes on sale November 12. But you can get a sneak peak. Head to the Nuclear Nightmares website and download the first chapter for free.
