Publishers Weekly
05/04/2020
Perry (My Journey at the Nuclear Brink), who served as secretary of defense under Bill Clinton, and global security analyst Collina expose the lack of checks and balances to prevent U.S. presidents from triggering nuclear war in this well-documented call for reform. Cataloguing seven decades of domestic policy developments and international power struggles over nuclear arms, including General MacArthur’s tug-of-war with President Truman over nuclear authorization during the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the 1980s Strategic Defense Initiative (commonly known as Star Wars), Perry and Collina argue that presidential monopoly on “the button” has reached a new level of danger under President Trump, whom they regard as a uniquely unstable leader. Their policy suggestions include an end to sole presidential nuclear authority, a prohibition on the first use of nuclear weapons by the U.S., and sustained diplomatic engagement with Iran and North Korea. Perry’s insider perspective on disarmament negotiations between the U.S. and Russia and the vulnerability of the U.S. arsenal to cyberattacks illuminates, but generalists will find themselves overwhelmed with policy minutiae. Still, this authoritative account reveals the true extent of the nuclear threat. (June)
From the Publisher
"This authoritative account reveals the true extent of the nuclear threat."
—Publishers Weekly
"Generating the political will to turn the tide against nuclear weapons is both possible and necessary, and Perry and Collina's book offers some practical interim steps that will make that task easier to accomplish."
—Forbes
"Every citizen should read this book—a clear account of our history with nuclear weapons, the continuing risks of their use through human error or cyberattacks, and the authors' recommended steps to create a safer future. It's an assault on the complacency of ‘nobody would be crazy enough to unleash these' thinking."
—President Bill Clinton
"Today, a nuclear catastrophe could occur instantaneously, at any moment, without any warning, with a lasting impact too terrible for words. That's why The Button is one of the most important books of 2020."
—Eric Schlosser, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and author of Command and Control
"Bill Perry, one of the wisest and most effective Secretaries of Defense ever to serve, has coauthored with Tom Collina another provocative, must-read book. The Button: The New Nuclear Arms Race and Presidential Power from Truman to Trump brings to life the nuclear dangers and dilemmas of the present day and makes a compelling case for several pragmatic changes to US nuclear weapons policy that would meaningfully reduce the risk of nuclear miscalculation."
—Michèle Flournoy, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
"At a time when the power to destroy our world rests in the hands of men like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, The Button is a powerful and urgent reminder that the risk of nuclear war is far too great. More than that, it offers a smart, comprehensive, well-argued case for what we can do to pursue a safer and more peaceful world."
—Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama
"The risk of accidental nuclear war is increasing, and through The Button Perry and Collina give an insightful account of the dangers of nuclear weapons, how fragile the current nuclear launch system is and most importantly—what you can do about it. This book will make you realize that no one person should have the sole authority to end the world and there is an urgent need to move to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons."
—Beatrice Fihn, recipient of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize
"No one knows how to prevent nuclear war better than Bill Perry. He had a front row seat to the arms race and the wisdom to back away from the brink. In this must-read book, Perry and Collina tap into a powerful insight—that we have been focused on the wrong nuclear threat. They chart a new and compelling course to keep us safe from blundering into atomic destruction."
—Wendy Sherman, former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs
"Bill Perry and Tom Collina give some clear thinking about the dangers of nuclear weapons and how to reduce these dangers. This deserves top attention at capitals around the world."
—George Shultz, former Secretary of State
"In our cyber world with nine nuclear weapons states, the risk of blunder, mistake, or false warnings greatly exceeds the risk of a premeditated nuclear attack. Our strategies reflect old thinking, leaving us exposed to grave and unnecessary dangers. The Button is a must-read book for leaders and citizens and underscores the urgent need for new thinking and wise, rational leadership on the most important issues facing the world."
—Sam Nunn, former US Senator
"American nuclear policy is broken. We are drifting towards catastrophe with a new arms race, new weapons and new war-fighting doctrines pulled from the darkest days of the Cold War. In The Button, two top experts, William Perry and Tom Collina, detail the problems and lay out exactly the dramatic shift we need to pull us back from the brink. There is no more important issue than preventing nuclear war, and no more important time than now. If you read only one national security book this year, read this one."
—Joe Cirincione, former president of the Ploughshares Fund
