Nuclear Terrorism; The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe

New York: Times Books, Henry Holt and Company, 2004. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. [8], 263, [1] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Index. DJ has slight wear, soiling Ink notation on fep. Inscribed by the author on the fep. Graham Tillett Allison, Jr. (born 23 March 1940) is an American political scientist and professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He is renowned for his contribution in the late 1960s and early 1970s to the bureaucratic analysis of decision making, especially during times of crisis. His book Remaking Foreign Policy: The Organizational Connection, co-written with Peter Szanton, was published in 1976 and had some influence on the foreign policy of the administration of President Jimmy Carter which took office in early 1977. Since the 1970s, Allison has also been a leading analyst of U.S. national security and defense policy, with a special interest in nuclear weapons and terrorism. Allison has been heavily involved in U.S. defense policy since working as an advisor and consultant to the Pentagon in the 1960s. He has been a member of the Secretary of Defense's Defense Policy Board from 1985. He was a special advisor to the Secretary of Defense (1985-87) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy and Plans (1993-1994), where he coordinated strategy and policy towards the states of the former Soviet Union. President Bill Clinton awarded Allison the Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, for "reshaping relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan to reduce the former Soviet nuclear arsenal." Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe is a 2004 book by Harvard scholar Graham Allison. Allison explains that terrorists have been striving to acquire and then use nuclear weapons against the United States. During the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry featured the issue of terrorism in their foreign policy platforms, and both said it is the nation's foremost security challenge. Nuclear Terrorism is described as a well-written report for general readers on the terrorist threat and what is needed to reduce it. National security expert Graham Allison identifies the serious threat to the world posed by the availability of nuclear weapons and materials, and suggests ways that may make the possibility of their falling into terrorists' hands far less likely. He identifies the key danger points (notably the former Soviet Union) that need to be secured, tells what policy changes need to occur, and argues that stronger treaties and stricter enforcement are essential to making this happen. Allison explains how the energy needs and peaceful use of nuclear power can be balanced with international safeguards, and he argues for a much heavier investment in homeland defense. All require a commitment of resources, especially money. Yet the danger of not acting may, in his view, change the status of nuclear terrorism from preventable to inevitable. A New York Times Notable Book for 2004.