Any book dealing with events that haven't happen is inherently difficult, but Rosenbaum has been reporting on nukes since the early 70s and has access to many of the most important players inside the weird and wonky world of nuclear weapons and policy. This is a wide ranging but deeply considered and well informed series of essays on nuclear weapons in the present world, and a warning to not be complacent in the "end of history" holiday following the Cold War. The first chapter looks at all the reasons we should be afraid including many harrowing close calls, as recently as 2007. Later chapters examine three hot spots: Israel/Iran mostly, USA/Russia, and Pakistan/India. Rosenbaum asks many deeply considered good questions that have no good answers and brings to light many uncomfortable facts. For example the taboo against nuclear weapons is well entrenched in popular culture, but this taboo doesn't exist in the military. So he asks awkward questions of nuclear ethics to members of the military establishment since using nukes could result in "100 Hitler Holocausts" and the answers are as funny as disturbing. Overall a lot of interesting insights and perspectives into a largely hidden topic that remains an important part of our cultural backdrop. ( )

Very sobbering. How have we gotten so far without blowing ourselves up. ( )