On Nuclear Terrorism (Hardcover)

by Michael Levi (Author) "On learning of the bombing of Hiroshima, Bernard Brodie, a leading strategist of his generation, declared, "Everything that I have written is obsolete."1..." (more)
Key Phrases: defense against nuclear terrorism, nuclear plots, nuclear explosive material, United States, North Korea, Building Blocks (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"We wish that the current and incoming national security advisor and secretaries of State, Defense and Homeland Security read Michael Levi's On Nuclear Terrorism." -- Los Angeles Times, January 1, 2008

Michael Levi presents a strong case.... Unique insights into how terrorist groups work [and] important specific recommendations to address these dangers--the most critical security issue facing our nation and the world." -- Senator Sam Nunn, former Chairman, Senate Armed Services Committee [Advance Review]

On Nuclear Terrorism should have the widest possible readership. -- The Times (London), December 23, 2007

This is serious stuff. If you want to know how a terrorist organization might manage to mount a nuclear attack--or how to stop them--you need to read this book. -- Thomas Schelling, Nobel Laureate and Author, The Strategy of Conflict [Advance Review]

Thoroughly researched, thoughtfully argued, and well written, On Nuclear Terrorism examines the most important security problem the world faces today. -- William J. Perry, Former Secretary of Defense [Advance Review]

Review
This book offers the best insights for a coordinated defense system against nuclear terrorism I have seen, as well as a perceptive survey of the opportunities and difficulties nuclear terrorists would face. Well written and carefully researched, it is a must for every counterterrorism planner as well as for any interested citizen.
--Michael M. May, former Director, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Professor Emeritus, Stanford University (20080410)

Michael Levi shows that defending against nuclear terrorism requires confronting every aspect of a terrorist's plot. Thoroughly researched, thoughtfully argued, and well written, On Nuclear Terrorism examines the most important security problem the world faces today.
--William Perry, former Secretary of Defense and Professor, Stanford University (20080901)

This is serious stuff. If you want to know how a terrorist organization might manage to mount a nuclear attack--or how to stop them--you need to read this book.
--Thomas C. Schelling, 2005 Nobel Laureate in Economics (20080601)

Levi's is the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and technically informed treatment of nuclear terrorism. This important book makes a big contribution to public understanding and to public policy on nuclear terrorism, which might yet--despite the daunting odds--prevent it from ever happening.
--Ashton B. Carter, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy and Professor, Harvard University (20080901)

In this comprehensive and accessible book, Levi effectively challenges many popular assertions about how easy it would be for terrorists to fabricate and deliver a nuclear weapon. He then outlines an integrated defense strategy from prevention to detection to mitigation. This should become the basic reference for nuclear terrorism. Recommended for anyone interested in the topic. Mandatory for policymakers.
--Brian M. Jenkins, Senior Advisor, RAND Corporation (20080601)

Michael Levi presents a strong case for why we need to do everything we can to keep the world's most dangerous weapons and materials out of the hands of the world's most dangerous people. He focuses on the broad range of today's nuclear threats and provides unique insights into how terrorist groups work. He also makes important specific recommendations to address these dangers--the most critical security issue facing our nation and the world.
--Sam Nunn, Former U.S. Senator and Co-Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative

The prevention of nuclear terrorism cannot be guaranteed, and so it is essential to prepare for the gruesome consequences of such an attack. Effective consequence management will require participation of an informed public, and for that reason alone, On Nuclear Terrorism should have the widest possible readership.
--Paul Cornish (Times Higher Education Supplement )

We wish...that the current and incoming national security advisor and secretaries of State, Defense and Homeland Security [would] read Michael Levi's On Nuclear Terrorism and make it a top priority to ensure that everything that can be done to foil a nuclear attack by terrorists is being done. (Los Angeles Times )

Anyone who reads [Levi's] work cannot but be impressed by his deep understanding of nuclear terrorism and the possibilities of dealing with it...It is one of Levi's strong points that, from beginning to end, he does not engage in any kind of mystery-solving or moralizing. What he does provide is a step-by-step account of the many possibilities of using nuclear bombs and materials for terrorist ends and of at least some of the things that can be done to prevent those possibilities from being realized...For anyone with a serious interest in the possibilities of nuclear terrorism and how to prevent it, On Nuclear Terrorism is a must.
--Martin van Creveld (Nature )

An excellent and challenging book on the problem of nuclear terrorism that is being read and debated in all corners of the WMD community...This book is a must read for anyone involved in the problem of protecting our nation from nuclear terrorism.
--R. E. Henstrand (Joint Force Quarterly )

Levi offers a system of thought on how to deal with the threat of nuclear terrorism that is probably the most complete and thoughtful published to date. In grasping a vast and complex topic and making sense of it in the light of a lucid and comprehensible framework, On Nuclear Terrorism is a paramount contribution to the effort to understand and minimize the threat of nuclear terrorism.
--Simen A. Ellingsen (Nonproliferation Review )

An excellent and challenging book on the problem of nuclear terrorism that is being read and debated in all corners of the WMD community...This book is a must read for anyone involved in the problem of protecting our nation from nuclear terrorism.
--R. E. Henstrand (Joint Force Quarterly )

Levi offers a system of thought on how to deal with the threat of nuclear terrorism that is probably the most complete and thoughtful published to date. In grasping a vast and complex topic and making sense of it in the light of a lucid and comprehensible framework, On Nuclear Terrorism is a paramount contribution to the effort to understand and minimize the threat of nuclear terrorism.
--Simen A. Ellingsen (Nonproliferation Review )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674026497
• ISBN-13: 978-0674026490
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #660,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Perspective on The Problem of Nuclear Terrorism, December 12, 2007

By	Gary W. Glass "Professor G" (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Michael Levi offers a unique perspective on the fear that drives the American psyche and political process these days-----nuclear weapons in the hands of a terrorist. While many experts exploit that fear to support expensive programs to counter nuclear terrorism, Levi takes an analytical perspective which describes in detail the series of difficult challenges which terrorists must overcome in order to accomplish the ultimate nightmare. His perspective as a physicist provides technological information not often found in policy pundits' consideration of this critical national and international security issue. Levi presents such technical information in a readable, but sophisticated form which enlightens those who seek to know more about the types of nuclear materials and weapons that a terrorist might seek. Additional technical information about detection and characterization technologies is also incorporated into this highly informative study. Casual readers will also benefit from Levi's unique approach-----looking at nuclear terrorism through the eyes of a terrorist planner. His message is a realistic, but hopeful one-----that nuclear terrorism is not inevitable, particularly if policy makers allocate resources to the obstacles that could make the ultimate nightmare only a figment of the imagination. Very Highly Recommended

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First Class Analysis, January 31, 2008

By	Charles Weiss (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book sets forth what a finite band of non-supermen would have to do to mount an attack of nuclear terrorism. From this, it derives a systematic approach to making such an effort more difficult. The bottom line is that we can't make such an attack impossible, but most likely we can make it hard enough that they will try something else. After all, they have trade-offs, too. For example, the more skills they assemble, the harder it is to keep the operation secret. Not the final word, but a first class beginning, and a major contribution to the debate over the level of effort that should be expended to ward off a nuclear attack as opposed to other forms of terrorism.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Disciplined Way of Thinking About Nuclear Terrorism , March 30, 2008

By	Steve Dietrich (Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Monica CA, United States) - See all my reviews

The author takes a very systematic approach to the analysis of the task of obtaining and delivering a nuclear weapon and then looks at the vulnerabilities of the process which are the opportunities of the defender.

Sadly too much of what makes the press on the subject amounts to a keyhole view of a single element of the offensive or defensive process. In contrast, the book looks at the complexity of the process and the impact on the overall opportunity for success of a "layered" defense. The conclusion is that it is not a single impenetrable layer that offers the opportunity for reducing the threat but rather multiple layers.

What we fail to grasp on terrorist issues we intuitively understand every fall weekend as we watch football. When it comes down to the end of the game and time for one or two plays the defense has multiple opportunities to reduce the overall probability of of offensive success. A coach would be foolish to rush 11 players or have 11 players deep while giving the quarterback the flexibility to select the time and place of attack. Instead the defenders balance the defense to defend at multiple points as a strategy which reduces the overall probability of offensive success.

Like American football success in combating doomsday terrorist threats comes from not only multiple levels but also from surprise, communication, deception and hard work.

In defending against nuclear terrorism multiple, independently managed efforts from threat analysis to intelligence to field intervention to defending the attempted delivery can reduce the probability of success to a level that makes the effort "non profitable" from the terrorist standpoint.

Terrorists understand that detection of a seriously developed nuclear attack effort will change the rules of the game, forever. A high probability of success is needed to make the effort worth the risks to the cause ( assuming for the moment that the top leadership is willing to die as a consequence of the effort) . This is in stark contrast to the dispatch of suicide bombers who do not generate the massive change in the rules of the game.

Overall the book is excellent for both its content and its impact on changing the way most of us think about defending against the unthinkable. Highly recommended .

More information http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/2978/catastrophic_terrorism.html?breadcrumb=%2Ftopic%2F2%2Fnuclear_issues