The Twilight of the Bombs

Pulitzer Prize-winning atomic weapons historian Rhodes (The Making of the Atom Bomb) completes his quartet on the history of nuclear weapons with this volume that picks up with the end of the Cold War in 1991. Rhodes takes us on a painstakingly researched trip through many nuclear hot spots, including former Soviet republics as well as Iraq, South Africa, and North Korea, next delving into where we stand today and musing about what the future might bring. Throughout, his aim is to remind us of post-Cold War nuclear dangers. He engages us by weaving the fascinating true stories of inspectors finding hidden nuclear stockpiles, how negotiations have variously played out (how Jimmy Carter allegedly saved the United States from possible war with North Korea), and the rationales nations have used for stockpiling nuclear weapons, including prestige and their use as bargaining chips so as to be heard by the United States.