The Challenges of Nuclear Non-Proliferation [Paperback]

This book provides a descriptive summary of international efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons over the past 70 years.? Deliberately rejecting a theoretically informed analysis, the authors instead offer a historical survey of the evolution of various components of the modern nuclear nonproliferation regime.? Although presenting the work as a factual account, Burns (emer., history, California State Univ., Los Angeles) and Coyle (formerly, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy) at times introduce ideological positions into the narrative that detract from the works objectivity. ?Relying mainly on secondary sources and offering no new interpretations of events, the authors essentially have written an up-to-date primer for those new to the study of nuclear nonproliferation. . . .Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduate collections.[T]he authors have packed quite a bit of high quality and somber material into a short book. This book provides a useful account of the decisions and actors that have characterized the international efforts to rein in the spread of nuclear weapons since 1945&. Their writing style is serious and conveys important concepts in a well-organized manner that allows them to avoid dragging readers into heavy details that often characterize works of this nature&. The book relies on widely available materials and provides links to the obscure ones. The bibliographic entries are solid and compressive in scope. Nearly every reader will learn something new, whether it is about the evolution of the non-proliferation regime or about the Eisenhower Administrations Atoms for Peace program, or any number of other interesting facts. The text seems ideal for advanced courses in international history or politics. It assumes that readers have a basic knowledge of world politics in the Post-WWII period. It would be a strong supplemental reading for advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in international security courses. ItlCœ