Approaching the Nuclear Tipping Point

Reviews / Votes

James Goodby has done us a great service in addressing the nuclear tipping point from the perspective of one engaged in nuclear diplomacy for decades while gaining a fresh perspective in Silicon Valley about the role of technology in shaping nuclear risks and opportunities. Today's complex politics will be well informed by Goodby's reflections on the intersection of governance, technology and nuclear security and on the need for renewed focus on avoiding nuclear catastrophe. I strongly recommend this timely contribution to the critical discussion about nuclear security in a rapidly changing world. -- Ernest Moniz, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; 13th United States Secretary of Energy A sense of urgency permeates this book. Nuclear weapons could be unleashed at any moment for any number of causes: a war in a region where bitter adversaries possess nuclear arsenals and where proximity allows little time for deliberation; miscalculations by major powers in a time of intense crisis and amidst the confusions engendered by cyber attacks by who knows whom. Simultaneously, social structures that have been stable and predictable for generations are undergoing disruptive change owing largely to the transformations wrought by the rush of new technologies. The challenge to governance is well described in this book, which not only argues strongly for international security cooperation but also offers practical suggestions for getting control of a very dangerous situation. Policy makers and concerned citizens alike will benefit from reading Ambassador Goodby's insightful analysis. -- Raymond Jeanloz, Professor, University of California at Berkeley; Chair, National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control Ambassador Goodby has a breadth of experience with the challenges of nuclear weapons that few others have. In this very important book on an existential issue he does more than tell a tale of caution - he lays out a plan to slow and then reverse our race to the nuclear tipping point. For security scholars, it is a must-read. Indeed, it poses a challenge that all of us must heed. -- William J. Perry, 19th United States Secretary of Defense James Goodby has played an important role in the ongoing effort to prevent the use of nuclear weapons. He tells that story with clarity and insight, explaining why we should worry while remaining optimistic that lessons learned will prevent future use. -- George P. Shultz, 60th United States Secretary of State