nuclear war

The Documents Daniel Ellsberg Didn't Leak

While famous for leaking the Pentagon Papers in 1971, the researcher and activist has revealed that he had another stash of secret papers—about American nuclear war planning—that he felt a duty to publicize. He never did release them, but is committed in his last days to work against nuclear war. 

Strangelove on the Square: Secret USAF Films Showed Airmen What to Expect if Nuclear War Broke Out

Air Force training films, with their bloodless procedural guidance for launching armageddon, provide a surreal insight into the Cold War that put Kubrick's absurdism to shame (yes, HNN will feature Dr. Strangelove-related content at any opportunity). 

Surveying Cold War Historians on the Likelihood of Nuclear War

Is the relative weakness of today's Russian state compared to the Soviet Union a risk factor for escalation that was missing during the Cold War? 

Facebook Is a Doomsday Machine

Facebook isn't exactly like they hypothetical "Doomsday Machine" theorized by Cold War nuclear deterrence experts. But its vast scope and capacity to distribute misinformation faster than in can be detected and corrected mean that lessons from the philosophy of nuclear annihilation are apt for understandign the danger of the social media giants. 

Washington History Seminar 10/2: Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1945-1962

The National History Center, The Woodrow Wilson Center and Politics & Prose Books prouldy host Martin Sherwin on Gambling with Armageddon: Nuclear Roulette from Hiroshima to the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1945-1962. Friday, October 2, 6:00 PM. 

Which Would You Prefer―Nuclear War or Climate Catastrophe?

by Lawrence Wittner

A satirical examination of the threats facing the world. 

Dear Moderators of the Presidential Debates: How About Raising the Issue of How to Avert Nuclear War?

by Lawrence Wittner

That question might seem overwrought but, in fact, the U.S. government and others are increasing the role that nuclear weapons play in their “national security” policies. 

What Has Wheaties – Yes, the Breakfast Cereal – Got to Do with Nuclear Disarmament?

by William Lambers

It is the breakfast of champions and nuclear disarmament. 

The Soviet Side of the 1983 War Scare

Far from being a “non crisis” or a “war scare that wasn’t,” the 1983 US-Soviet confrontation is a profound representation of the “hair trigger” mindset toward which the nuclear arms race can push humanity.

That sensational New York Times story about LBJ saving America from nuclear war in Vietnam is wrong says author Gregg Jones

by Gregg Jones

It was based on Michael Beschloss’s new book.

RIP to the Liberal Order

by Suzy Kim

American Mourning after the US-North Korea June Summit

TV and the Bomb

by Reba Wissner

Fictional American television shows featured serious topics such as nuclear weapons pretty frequently during the 1950s and 1960s.

Philip Zelikow says step-by-step diplomacy in Korea has failed, so it’s time to try something new

He should know. He was involved in the step-by-step talks under Bush.

Trump’s Getting Us Ready to Fight a Nuclear War

by Lawrence Wittner

Even as he holds out the hope of denuclearizing North Korea, he wants to increase the size and scope of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

When it was determined that the President is the one who decides whether to use nuclear weapons

by Alex Wellerstein

A Twitter discussion reveals that even in 1948 at the time of the Berlin airlift the United States did not have a formal policy designating the President as the decider.

Why North Korea Is Angered by ‘Libya Model’ in Nuclear Talks

Kim doesn't want a deal like Qaddafi got given what happened to him.

‘This Is Not a Drill’: The Growing Threat of Nuclear Annihilation

As more nations seek the bomb, and as the United States and Russia expand their nuclear arsenals, veterans of the Cold War say the public is too complacent about the risk of nuclear catastrophe.

If Trump’s foreign policy gambles fail, history suggests his reaction could be dangerous

by Charles Hermann

What matters more to U.S. national security is how presidents responded when their foreign policy shifts failed.

Trump needs to study up on North Korea's history of duplicity

by Cal Thomas

A good place to start is an essay written by Joshua Muravchik of the American Enterprise Institute for the March 2003 issue of Commentary magazine.

The Year The World Almost Blew Up – And Nobody Noticed

by Taylor Downing

It was 1983 and the Soviets nearly ordered a full pre-emptive nuclear strike against the US and Western Europe.