Atomic obsession : nuclear alarmism from Hiroshima to Al-Qaeda /
John Mueller.
- New York : Oxford University Press, 2010
- xiii, 319 p.
Drawing on a variety of sources and taking the entire atomic era into consideration this book argues that there is no need for the pessimism which is normally associated with nuclear weapons. Also argues that there is very little likelihood of a state launching an offensive first strike with nuclear weapons, that the economic and technical costs of developing and maintaining "the deterrent" are ludicrous, and that the possiblity of terrorists obtaining such weapons is extremely small.