Hot Off the Presses
Editor: Susan M. Lynch, Program Assistant, International Security Program; Web Manager, Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program
Keeper of the Nuclear Conscience: The Life and Work of Joseph Rotblat
By Andrew Brown, Associate, Project on Managing the Atom
Oxford University Press (February 2012)
Joseph Rotblat was the Jewish nuclear scientist whose disillusionment with nuclear weapons encouraged him to become one of the prime architects of the anti-nuclear movement, and resulted in his lifelong efforts to promote social responsibility in science. His founding of Pugwash and his humanitarian work ultimately led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Andrew Brown’s biography sets out a life whose work poses deep and important questions about science and society. This compelling account draws on full access to Rotblat’s archives and presents the full scope of his life: his childhood overcoming poverty and anti-Semitism, his efforts to become a scientist in Warsaw, his work on Britain's nuclear program, his lifelong dedication to peaceful causes, and his determination to uphold the ethical application of science. Ultimately, we discover a great man whose profound conscience shaped his life and work, and the legacy he leaves today.
"... [A] fine work that lucidly depicts the challenges faced by Rotblat and his Pugwash colleagues as they relentlessly pursued a more peaceful world."
“Brown's use of numerous interviews, including one with Rotblat himself, make for compelling reading. Overall, Keeper of the Nuclear Conscience is a fine work that lucidly depicts the challenges faced by Rotblat and his Pugwash colleagues as they relentlessly pursued a more peaceful world.”—Edwin Lyman, New ScientistM
Nuclear Energy and Global Governance: Ensuring Safety, Security and Non-proliferation
By Trevor Findlay, Research Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom
Routledge Global Security Studies (Paperback Edition)
Routledge (March 2012)
The threat of global warming, the energy demands of China, India, and other emerging economic powerhouses and the challenges facing traditional and alternative energy sources led many in the past decade to suggest that the early twentieth century would see a ‘renaissance’ in the use of nuclear energy for generating electricity. In response to the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan, following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, many countries that were previously excited about the prospect of nuclear energy have now begun to reconsider.
This timely book examines comprehensively the drivers of and constraints on a prospective nuclear revival and its likely nature and scope. Of special interest are developing countries which aspire to have nuclear energy and which currently lack the infrastructure, experience, and regulatory structures to successfully manage such a major industrial enterprise. The Fukushima disaster has made such considerations even more pertinent: if a technologically sophisticated country like Japan has difficulties dealing with nuclear safety and security how much harder would it be for a newcomer to the technology.
“…[E]ssential reading for those wishing to comprehend the politics and policies behind nuclear technology.
“A truly unique and excellent work exploring the international governance architecture needed for nuclear power to flourish. Cutting across issues of nonproliferation, security, safety, and reliability, Nuclear Energy and Global Governance is essential reading for those wishing to comprehend the politics and policies behind nuclear technology.”—Benjamin K. Sovacool, author of The National Politics of Nuclear Power.
Desert Dreams: The Quest for Arab Integration from the Arab Revolt to the Gulf Cooperation Council
By Justin Dargin, Former Associate and Research Fellow, Dubai Initiative
International Studies Library
Republic of Letters (2011)
This book discusses the history of Arab integration attempts from the late Ottoman period to the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Although there is significant scholarship on the history of pan-Arab nationalism and the drive for disparate Arab nations to integrate, there is preciously little literature that seeks to understand the development of closer integration in the Gulf in the context of the long history amongst Arabs of the awareness that a common cultural and social nation exists that should politically and economically collaborate. This book reassesses the history of Arab integration, and argues convincingly, that while the more politically charged “unionist” attempts of Arab political integration may have failed, instead what we can anticipate, based on the illustration of the GCC, is deeper and closer economic, financial, political, and social coordination amongst various Arab countries.
Securitizing Balance of Power Theory: A Polymorphic Reconceptualization
By Ilai Saltzman, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program
Lexington Books (December 2011)
Securitizing Balance of Power Theory: A Polymorphic Reconceptualization examines different reactions to changes in the balance of power and the way different states formulate their grand strategies in order to engage these changes. Saltzman offers a neoclassical realist interpretation of the balance of power theory, making the case for a more inclusive theory which considers balance of security as well. The text empirically examines this new theory using two sets of historical cases: the British and Soviet responses to Nazi Germany, and the American and Chinese responses to the rise of Imperialist Japan, both during the interwar period. The second set of cases considers the Russian, North Korean, Chinese, and European Union’s response to post–Cold War America.
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