Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons

March 9, 2007, 12:30pm – 2:00pm

About This Event

We are pleased to invite you to a luncheon discussion on Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons. Bomb Scare begins with the first atomic discoveries of the 1930s and covers the history of their growth all the way to the current crisis with Iran. Cirincione unravels the science, strategy, and politics that have fueled the development of nuclear stockpiles and increased the chance of a nuclear attack. He also explains why many nations choose not to pursue nuclear weapons and pulls from this the outlines of a solution to the world?s proliferation problem: a balance of force and diplomacy, enforcement, and engagement that yields a steady decrease in these deadly arsenals.

In the March 15th issue of The New York Review of Books, Jason Epstein, founder of the publication says, "Cirincione writes as a seasoned Washington observer...his invaluable new book...ought to be read by everyone as a matter of life and death."

Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, says that Bomb Scare is "Succinct and smart, informed by insight drawn from long experience, Bomb Scare is the best one-volume examination of the history and challenges of the nuclear arms race yet written."

Robert Gallucci, Dean of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, says Bomb Scare is "a compact, balanced, and wise treatment of an issue that is of critical importance to our security."

Featured Speakers:
Dafna Linzer, National Security Correspondent, The Washington Post
Joe Cirincione, Author, Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons and Vice President for National Security, Center for American Progress

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005

Biographies

Dafna Linzer is national security correspondent for The Washington Post where she concentrates on nonproliferation and intelligence issues. She won the 2005 U.N. Gold Medal for international reporting for her coverage of Iran’s nuclear program and the struggles between the Bush administration and the IAEA over Iran’s progress. Before joining the Post, Linzer spent 10 years as a foreign correspondent with The Associated Press, where she covered the Middle East from postings in Jerusalem and at the United Nations.

Joseph Cirincione is Senior Fellow and Director for Nuclear Policy at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C. He is the author of the new book, Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons (Columbia University Press, 2007). He also teaches at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and served for eight years as director for nonproliferation at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He worked for over nine years on the professional staff of the Armed Services Committee and the Government Operations Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the author of over two hundred articles on defense, and the co-author of Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Threats and Universal Compliance: A Strategy for Nuclear Security. He appears frequently on television, radio and in print and was featured in the award-winning documentary, Why We Fight in 2006.