The Nuclear Precipice

The History and Control of Nuclear Weapons
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-22696-3
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 254 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

This book examines the alarming resurgence of nuclear threats over the past quarter-century, following decades of arms control progress between the United States and the Soviet Union/Russian Federation.

It traces the devastating legacy of nuclear weapons from their catastrophic debut in 1945, when atomic bombings claimed over 150,000 immediate lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and thousands more from radiation effects in subsequent years. Barletta provides crucial historical context for understanding today's precarious nuclear landscape, where proliferation concerns and modernization programs have reversed much of the post-Cold War progress. Through rigorous analysis and compelling narrative, readers gain insight into how and why the international community has retreated from earlier commitments to nuclear de-escalation.

By articulating the dangers of nuclear proliferation and the growth of existing nuclear arsenals, this volume encourages action from aspiring graduate and undergraduate scientists, engineers, and general readers to animate the public discourse aimed at stepping away from the precipice of destruction.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Barletta, William A.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Moderne Kriegsführung
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Militärwesen Ausrüstung & Waffen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Topic I: Life on the Nuclear Precipice  1. Why Are Nuclear Weapons Different from Other Weapons? 2. The Nuclear Precipice in the Arts  Topic II: The History of Nuclear Weapons Development  3. Prelude to the Manhattan Project 4. The Manhattan Project and the End of WW2 5. Developments after World War 2 6. Nuclear Designs, Testing, and Safety  Topic III: Physics of Nuclear Weapons Effects  7. Fireball, Blast and Thermal Effects 8. Prompt Radiation and Fallout 9. Nuclear Effects in Space  Topic IV: Weapons Production, Nuclear Warfare, and the Cold War  10. SNM Production and the Nuclear Weapons Complex 11. Nuclear Warfare Concepts: Atomic Weapons 12. Production and Deployment of Thermonuclear Weapons 13. Resilience and Declaratory Policy  Topic V: Arms Control, Treaties, and Disarmament  14. Arms Control Activities: 1950–1980 15. Arms Control Treaties and Disarmament (1980–Present)  Topic VI: Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Safeguards and Forensics  16. The NPT and Nuclear Terrorism 17. Why Countries Proliferate — France, Israel, and South Africa 18. The Indo–Pakistani Arms Race and Other Proliferators 19. International and Domestic Safeguards 20. Nuclear Forensics  Topic VII: Current Status of Nuclear Weapons  21. Upgrades of Nuclear Capabilities 22. Supporting Weapons Upgrades, SNM Production and Other Technologies 23. The Future of Nuclear Deterrence in a Multi-Polar World  Topic VIII: Emerging Directions  24. Environmental Impacts of Developing Nuclear Weapons 25. Arms Control in the Future 26. New Delivery and Defense Systems 27. Summary Assignments

Über Autor(innen)

William A. Barletta is Adjunct Professor of Physics (ret.) at MIT, Editor-in-Chief of Physics Open, and a Foreign Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Bologna Institute in Italy. His current research interests are the history, technology and control of nuclear weapons and emerging planetary emergencies.