The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump

The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump
ISBN-10
1950665186
ISBN-13
9781950665181
Category
History
Pages
280
Language
English
Published
2020-06-30
Publisher
BenBella Books
Authors
William J. Perry, Tom Z. Collina

Description

The President has the power to end the world in minutes. Right now, no one can stop him. Since the Truman administration, America has been one "push of a button" away from nuclear war—a decision that rests solely in the hands of the President. Without waiting for approval from Congress or even the Secretary of Defense, the President can unleash America's entire nuclear arsenal. Almost every governmental process is subject to institutional checks and balances. Why is potential nuclear annihilation the exception to the rule? For decades, glitches and slip-ups have threatened to trigger nuclear winter: misinformation, false alarms, hacked warning systems, or even an unstable President. And a new nuclear arms race has begun, threatening us all. At the height of the Cold War, Russia and the United States each built up arsenals exceeding 30,000 nuclear weapons, armed and ready to destroy each other—despite the fact that just a few hundred are necessary to end life on earth. From authors William J. Perry, Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration and Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Carter administration, and Tom Z. Collina, the Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation in Washington, DC, The Button recounts the terrifying history of nuclear launch authority, from the faulty 46-cent microchip that nearly caused World War III to President Trump's tweet about his "much bigger & more powerful" button. Perry and Collina share their firsthand experience on the front lines of the nation's nuclear history and provide illuminating interviews with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Congressman Adam Smith, Nobel Peace Prize winner Beatrice Fihn, senior Obama administration officials, and many others. Written in an accessible and authoritative voice, The Button reveals the shocking tales and sobering facts of nuclear executive authority throughout the atomic age, delivering a powerful condemnation against ever leaving explosive power this devastating under any one person's thumb.

Get the book

Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Search the book
eBay.com
eBay.com
Search the book

Other editions

Similar books

  • The Button Book
    The Button Book
    By Sally Nicholls

    Originally published: London: Andersen, 2019.

  • Don’t Push the Button!
    Don’t Push the Button!
    By Bill Cotter

    There's only one rule in Larry's book: don't push the button. (Seriously, don't even think about it!) Even if it does look kind of nice, you must never push the button.

  • Belly Button Book
    Belly Button Book
    By Sandra Boynton

    Oversized lap edition also available—perfect for more reading aloud! Hoping for hippos? Take a look! They're in this BELLY BUTTON BOOK!

  • The Panic Button Book: A First-Aid Kit to Relieve Anxiety and Stress Whenever They Strike
    The Panic Button Book: A First-Aid Kit to Relieve Anxiety and Stress Whenever They Strike
    By Tammi Kirkness

    Imagine having a therapist in your pocket-The Panic Button Book is a stress-free, instantaneous way to manage anxiety, in a beautifully illustrated package

  • The Button Therapy Book: How to Work on Your Buttons and the Button-Pushers in Your Life
    The Button Therapy Book: How to Work on Your Buttons and the Button-Pushers in Your Life
    By Lloyd R. Goodwin

    The Button Therapy Book is a practical cognitive counseling manual for mental health professionals and a psychological self-help book designed to: Help you identify, modify, and eliminate your Buttons that trigger stress and distress in ...

  • The Button Craft Book
    The Button Craft Book
    By Dawn Cusick

    CAMEOS LIKE THIS 3,000 - PLUS EXAMPLES IN ONE WERE CARVED FROM THE COLLECTIONS OF LAVA THAT WAS SAID TO COOPER - HEWITT , NATIONAL HAVE BEEN LEFT BY THE DESIGN MUSEUM IS PRETTY ERUPTION OF MT . VESUVIUS IMPOSSIBLE , BUT ONE OF IN THE ...

  • Behind the Button
    Behind the Button
    By Jill Strickland Brown

    Behind the Button shares the empowering story of Jill Strickland Brown's rise in the fashion industry from small-town receptionist to NYC million-dollar-a-year-earning sales rep to thriving retail store owner, influencing and supporting ...

  • On the Button: The Significance of an Ordinary Item
    On the Button: The Significance of an Ordinary Item
    By Nina Edwards

    A. A. Milne warns more whimsically in Twice Times that 'bad bear (has) left all his buttons undone'. Both comedy and humiliation are associated with the fly accidentally left open. Winston Churchill, when warned of such an oversight, ...

  • Don't Push the Button! An Easter Surprise
    Don't Push the Button! An Easter Surprise
    By Bill Cotter

    Larry is SO excited for Easter! Aren't you? I don't think the Easter Bunny is watching; but... Whatever you do...DON'T PUSH THE BUTTON! When it comes to Easter basket gifts for kids this adorable book is a MUST!

  • Don't Push the Button! Let's Say Good Night
    Don't Push the Button! Let's Say Good Night
    By Bill Cotter

    Or maybe two...or three! Each push helps him get ready to cuddle up for the night. Readers of The Monster at the End of this Book and Press Here by Herve Tullet will love this funny, interactive book for toddlers!