Crisis, Stability and Nuclear War (New ed)

This study depicts the currents that would be set in motion by a severe superpowers crisis, which might then carry the world to nuclear war.

Written by a group of strategic analysts, scientists, and military officers who have held high-level nuclear commands, it examines the extent to which the superpowers' command organizations could maintain control over such a chain of events.

In assessing the risks of nuclear war, the general public and national governments have largely focused on the shape and size of nuclear arsenals.

The authors argue that this is a misplaced emphasis - that the ability of command organizations to perform their complex tasks while under stress in a rapidly shifting scene, and even in the face of direct attack, is of paramount importance.