Bomb Scare; The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons

New York: Columbia University Press, 2008. Second Printing thus. Trade paperback. Very good. xii, [2], 232 pages. With a New Afterword. Illustrations. Figures. Tables. Notes. Glossary. Index. Pencil erasure residue on title page. Format is five inches by 9 inches. Joseph Cirincione (born 13 November 1949) is the President of the Ploughshares Fund, a public grant-making foundation focused on nuclear weapons policy and conflict resolution. Cirincione was appointed to the presidency of the Ploughshares Fund by the Ploughshares board of directors on 5 March 2008. He is the author of Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons and Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats and the co-author of Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security. Cirincione has advocated for negotiations to end the diplomatic stalemate regarding the nuclear program of Iran. Since their inception, nuclear weapons have multiplied at an alarming rate, leaving everyone from policymakers to concerned citizens wondering what it will take to slow, stop, or even reverse their spread. With clarity and expertise, Joseph Cirincione presents an even-handed look at the history of nuclear proliferation and an optimistic vision of its future, providing a comprehensive survey of the wide range of critical perspectives. Cirincione begins with the first atomic discoveries of the 1930s and covers the history of their growth all the way to current crisis with Iran. He unravels the science, strategy, and politics that have fueled the development of nuclear stockpiles and increased the chance of a nuclear terrorist attack. He also explains why many nations choose not to pursue nuclear weapons and pulls from this the outlines of a solution to the world's proliferation problem: a balance of force and diplomacy, enforcement and engagement that yields a steady decrease in these deadly arsenals. Bomb Scare is an engaging text that not only supplies the general reader and student with a clear understanding of this issue.