Overview
Living with Peril explains in detail how the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations adapted to the reality of a Soviet nuclear force capable of destroying the United States and against which there was no effective defense. Wenger illuminates the development, implementation, and evolution of U.S. government policies designed to avoid war and to respond to the vulnerability of nuclear destruction. Drawing from a wealth of sources, Wenger provides an insightful and original perspective on the origins of cold war nuclear diplomacy. This is crucial reading for students and scholars of international relations, peace and conflict studies, and diplomatic history.
Synopsis
Living with Peril explains in detail how the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations adapted to the reality of a Soviet nuclear force capable of destroying the United States and against which there was no effective defense. Wenger illuminates the development, implementation, and evolution of U.S. government policies designed to avoid war and to respond to the vulnerability of nuclear destruction. Drawing from a wealth of sources, Wenger provides an insightful and original perspective on the origins of Cold War nuclear diplomacy.
Editorials
Cambridge Review Of International Affairs
Wenger narrates a compelling account of the political and psycological forces that shaped the nuclear weapons strategies of Eisenhower and Kennedy. Wenger convincingly demonstrates that the level of destruction inherent in nuclear use created a gap between the theory and pratice of nuclear strategy. Wenger contributes a timely reminder of these realities and the continuing importance of the past for comtemporary nuclear debates.— Patricia Ownes
Nuclear Learning
During the presidential administrations of Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy the United States slipped from a position of massive nuclear superiority over the Soviet Union to one of perceived mutual vulnerability. Drawing extensively upon archival materials, Andreas Wenger, a leading young Swiss analyst of world politics, argues that these were the decisive years of the nuclear era, the years when the mostPolitical Studies
It is one of the many strengths of Wenger's exemplary and well-researched study to remind a new generation of IR students (whose indifference to history is wondrous to behold) of the complexity of a world that once was, but is no more.— Michael Cox, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Political Studies Review
It is one of the many strengths of Wenger's exemplary and well-researched study to remind a new generation of IR students (whose indifference to history is wondrous to behold) of the complexity of a world that once was, but is no more.— Michael Cox, University of Wales, Aberystwyth