Besides providing an integrated, self-contained history of the Cold War, Lives in the Balance throws new light on subjects as diverse as the nature of freedom, American Third World policies, roots of collective misbehavior, and reform strategies. Lives in the Balance should be of special interest to those wishing to understand or change the realities of American politics.
"The voyage into a better future must begin with a careful study of the past. The Soviet Union is no more, but others could readily take its place as Chief Enemy of the Republic. The Cold War is at a low ebb now, but the forces which created and sustained it are still commanding the dikes. If we wish to avoid another half a century of racing with Russia, Japan, or some other nation, if we wish to avoid another half a century of crimes against nature and our fellow passengers to the grave, if humanity is to realize the age-old dream of continual progress, these forces must be contained. The containment manual can only be culled from the pages of history, and, especially, from the pages of Cold War America."-from the Preface
"Lives in the Balance does a remarkable job of integrating vast amounts of information about nuclear weapons and the Cold War, and it does so with a rare degree of common sense and skepticism about the conventional wisdom. Moti Nissani's interdisciplinary approach provides many fascinating insights and speculations about the psychology and politics of American foreign policy and about what may be necessary to create more humane policies in the future."-William A. Schwartz, co-author, The Nuclear Seduction
A holder of degrees in genetics, philosophy, and psychology, Dr. Nissani brings an unusual background to his interdisciplinary review of the Cold War and American politics. Before joining the faculty of Wayne State University, he studied, fought, or taught in six American states, Israel, and Australia. His most recent technical articles show that human beings are surprisingly resistant to conceptual change.
CONTENTS
Publication Data
Backcover
Motto
Preface
Chapter 1: TOTALITARIANISM 1
• What is Freedom? 2
• Life in a Dictatorship 6
• The Nature of Totalitarianism 7
• The Soviet Union: 1917-1984 9
• Totalitarian Foreign Policies 23 (Soviet Foreign Policies: 1917-1984 / China and Tibet: 1950-1991 / Sparta and the City States of Ancient Greece)
• The Soviet Union, 1985-1991: End of an Era 31
• The Myth of Authoritarian Efficiency 36
• Summary 39
Chapter 2: CONSEQUENCES OF NUCLEAR WAR 42
• Types of Nuclear Bombs 42
• Effects of a Single Nuclear Explosion 44 (Ultraviolet Pulse / Electromagnetic Pulse / Heat / Blast / Ionizing Radiation / Hiroshima)
• Effects of a Large Nuclear Explosion 54
• Effects of a Limited Nuclear War 57
• Consequences of Nuclear War 57 (Direct Consequences / Indirect Consequences)
• Reality of Nuclear Peril 69
• Summary 76
Chapter 3: COSTS OF THE ARMS RACE 78
• Military Costs 78
• Conventional Wars 81
• Economic and Human Costs 82
• Environmental Costs 84
• Moral and Psychological Costs 86
• Militarism, Imperialism, and Plutodemocracy 86
• The Arms Race or Totalitarianism? 89
• Summary 90
Chapter 4: WEAPONS OF THE COLD WAR 92
• A Note on Military Jargon 92
• Conventional Weapons 93
• Chemical and Biological Weapons 94
• Nuclear Bombs 95
• Delivery Vehicles 95 (Bombers and Cruise Missiles / Ballistic Missiles )
• Strategic Requirements of Nuclear Weapons and Delivery Vehicles 97
• Command, Control, and Communication 98
• Satellites 99
• Summary 100
Chapter 5: STRATEGIC THINKING IN THE UNITED STATES 102
• Two Interpretations of Western Military and Foreign Policies 102 (Deterrence / Brinkmanship)
• Victory in the 1980s? 108
• Future Victory? 109
• New Nuclear Weapons? 113
• A Window of Vulnerability? 115
• Launch Under Attack? 118
• Nuclear Retaliation? 119
• Concluding Remarks 120
• Summary 121
Chapter 6: THE MILITARY BALANCE 123
• Overkill 123
• A Note on the Reliability of Data 126
• The Nuclear Balance 129 (Number of Deliverable Nuclear Bombs / Explosive Yield / Survivability of Nuclear Weapons / Defensive Measures / The Overall Nuclear Balance )
• The Conventional Balance 137 (Standing Armies and Ground Forces / Airplanes / Tanks / Navies / Interventionary Forces )
• Other Factors Affecting the Military Balance 142 (Technology / National Economies / Democracy / Allies / Internal Dissension / Homeland Invasion / Organizational Inefficiencies / Additional Soviet Advantages)
• Concluding Remarks 152
• Summary 152
Chapter 7: HISTORY OF THE COLD WAR 155
• Peace or War? 156
• Atomic Secrecy 167
• The Baruch Plan 169
• Developing the H-Bomb 171
• The Moment of Hope: May 10, 1955 172
• The Comprehensive Test Ban 174
• The 1980s 178
• General Characteristics of the Arms Race 185
• Summary 193
Chapter 8: BRINKMANSHIP AND IMPERIALISM? 195
• Nuclear Diplomacy 195
• American Intervention in the Third World 202 American Nuclear and Third World
• Policies: An Appraisal 218
• Summary 221
Chapter 9: ROOTS OF COLLECTIVE MISBEHAVIOR 223
• Organizational Characteristics 225 (Organizational Callousness / Organizational Self-Destructiveness / Institutional Decay / Institutional Rigidity / Institutional Inertia / Money and Politics / Revolving Doors / Elections and Officials)
• Information 243 (Corporate Media / Government / Experts / Education)
• Human Characteristics 257 (Individual Callousness / Indoctrinability / Conceptual Conservatism / Conformity / Obedience to Authority / Other Human Failings)
• Summary 271
Chapter 10: A SURGICAL REFORM STRATEGY 273
• Has Humanity a Future? 273
• Successful Reform Presupposes
• an Informed Public 275
• Forlorn Strategies 275
• A Surgical Reform Strategy 278
• Summary 283
Notes and References 284
Index 309
