The Partnership

Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb

Description

Offering a clear analysis of the danger of nuclear terrorism and how it can be prevented, The Partnership sheds light on one of the most divisive security issues facing Washington today. Award-winning New York Times journalist Philip Taubman illuminates our vulnerability in the face of this pressing terrorist threat—and the unlikely efforts of five key Cold War players to eliminate the nuclear arsenal they helped create. Bob Woodward calls The Partnership a “brilliant, penetrating study of nuclear threats, present and past,” and David Kennedy writes that it is “indispensable reading for all who would understand the desperate urgency of containing the menace of nuclear proliferation.”


This indispensable study of American foreign policy reveals:


  • An Unlikely Bipartisan Partnership: The untold story of how former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz joined with defense secretary William Perry and Senator Sam Nunn to dismantle the very nuclear arsenal they helped build.
  • Twenty-First-Century Nuclear Dangers: A clear-eyed analysis of the shift from Cold War deterrence to the urgent, modern danger of nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists.
  • A Quest for Disarmament: Follows the five Cold Warriors on their personal journeys, tracing how they came to believe the only way to ensure global security was to pursue a world free of nuclear weapons.
  • High-Stakes Diplomacy: An insider’s account of their campaign, from the landmark Wall Street Journal op-ed to private meetings in Washington, Moscow, and beyond.

About the author(s)

Philip Taubman worked for The New York Times for thirty years as a reporter and editor, including stints as chief of both the Washington and Moscow bureaus. He has also worked at Esquire and Time magazines. He was twice awarded the George Polk Award—for National Reporting in 1981 and for Foreign Affairs Reporting in 1983. Since retiring from the Times in 2008, he has been a consulting professor at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Reviews

The Partnership artfully weaves the threads of five notable lives into a fascinating account of nuclear strategizing over the last five decades. This unfailingly compelling narrative is indispensable reading for all who would understand the desperate urgency of containing the menace of nuclear proliferation.” - David Kennedy, Professor of History Emeritus, Stanford University

“This brilliant, penetrating study of nuclear threats is in the tradition of David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan. Taubman has, perhaps as importantly, unlocked the history of the war we never had. Readers will tremble at the dangers the world has faced and still faces today.” - Bob Woodward

“A fascinating portrait of an unlikely coalition of disarmament crusaders . . . . Mr. Taubman describes in chilling detail the threat of these terrible weapons falling into the worst possible hands.” - The Wall Street Journal

“A fascinating, haunting book. . . . Even for skeptics, Taubman’s book provides an important public service by concentrating on nuclear perils that continue to slip our day-to-day notice. . . . Thought-provoking.” - The New York Times Book Review

“Taubman ably revisits many of the classic set pieces of the Cold War-the Cuban missile crisis, the Jasons scientific-advisory team, the nuclear alert during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, and the 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev summit at Reykjavik.” - The San Francisco Chronicle

“An even-handed look at a convoluted history that is still unfolding. . . . Taubman does a clean job of reducing the elements to layman’s terms. . . . Taubman had unparalleled access to the five men profiled here. . . . It makes for intriguing reading.” - The Los Angeles Times

“Taubman provides a cogent and chilling summary of the threat of nuclear weapons in the twenty-first century.” - The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“A richly detailed account of one of the most important issues of our time, The Partnership should be on the bedside of every presidential candidate, national affairs journalist and engaged citizen.” - Tom Brokaw

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