The Dead Volcano The Background and Effects of Nuclear War Complacency

Subjects:

• Military Studies » Arms Control/Defense
• Political Science » International Relations

Reviews:

• A respected and prolific political scientist and security policy consultant, Cimbala has produced yet another provocative book. The Dead Volcano is intended as a wake-up call to the dangers of "nuclear war complacency" that took hold after the Cold War. The first nuclear age of US-Soviet rivalry was menacing enough, but the superpowers managed their rivalry successfully and cooperated to prevent nuclear proliferation. But in this second nuclear age, regional rivals and rogues seeking nuclear weapons and long-range missiles pose serious threats that Western policy makers have not take seriously enough or have misunderstood, hence the continuing risk of nuclear war....Whether or not one agrees with this assessment, Cimbala's book, occasionally technical but not tedious, is not tendentious. It is meant for policy makers, think tankers, and academic specialists concerned about nuclear weapons, national security, strategy, and arms control. Strongly recommended for larger university libraries and collections specializing in international security, defense policy, military studies, and related fields. Upper-division undergraduates and above.
  —Choice January 2003
• The book's strength lies in hypothetical facts and figures, and the chapter about the spread of nuclear weapons to countries outside the current nuclear family is quite relevent, since it is based on current world events... Dead Volcanp adds value to the defense community in its analysis of nuclear relations; something everyone should be at least familiar with and concerned about...[a]nyone with an interest in peace studies, foreign policy, or military affairs should read it.
  —Military Review April 2004

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Nuclear Revolution and American Military Strategy
• Nuclear Weapons and Soviet Cold War Strategy: Adapting to MADness
• Friction and Nuclear Deterrence
• A Near Escape? The 1983 War Scare and Nuclear Danger
• Nuclear Weapons and U.S.-Russian Arms Control
• Russian Nuclear Command and Control: Policy and Strategy Perspectives
• Cyberwar and Nuclear Deterrence
• The Danger of Nuclear Weapons Spread
• Conclusion
• Index