Nuclear Weapons: A Very Short Introduction
ISBN13: 9780199229543ISBN10: 0199229546
Paperback,
144 pages
Mar 2008,
In Stock
Price:
$11.95 (03)See more from the series
Description
Despite not having been used in anger since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear weapons are still the biggest threat that faces us in the 21st century. Indeed, for all the effort to reduce nuclear stockpiles to zero and to keep other nations (such as Iran) from developing nuclear capability, it seems that the Bomb is here to stay. In this gripping Very Short Introduction, Joseph M. Siracusa, an internationally respected authority on nuclear arms, provides a comprehensive, accessible, and at times chilling overview of the most deadly weapon ever invented. Siracusa explains the history of the arms race and the politics of the bomb, ranging from the technology of nuclear weapons, to the revolutionary implications of the H-bomb and the politics of nuclear deterrence. The issues are set against a backdrop of the changing international landscape, from the early days of development, through the Cold War, to the present-day controversy over George W. Bush's National Missile Defense, and the role of nuclear weapons in an Age of Terror. Providing an accessible and eye-opening backdrop to one of the most unsettling aspects of the modern world, this compact introduction is must reading.Features
- An accessible and eye-opening overview of the most deadly weapon ever invented
- Examines important and recurring questions about the role of nuclear weapons in modern-day international relations
- Explores the history of the early arms races, through the dawn of nuclear deterrence politics, the Cold War, to what may lie ahead for us in the future
- Takes a thoroughly up-to-date view, examining contemporary controversies such as the US National Missile Defence system and Star Wars, and the threat and role of nuclear weapons in global terrorism
- The author's background in international relations puts some of the most important and enduring problems of nuclear weapons policy over the past 60 years into an historical and global context
- Part of the bestselling Very Short Introductions series--over two million copies sold
Product Details
144 pages; 20 b/w halftones; 4-1/4 x 6-3/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-922954-3ISBN10: 0-19-922954-6About the Author(s)
Joseph M. Siracusa is Professor in International Studies and Director of Global Studies, at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. He is internationally known for his writings on nuclear history, diplomacy, and presidential politics, and is also a frequent political affairs commentator in the media.
