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Dead Hand (2011)

by David E. Hoffman(Favorite Author)

4.04 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1848312997 (ISBN13: 9781848312999)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Icon Books

review 1: So...When Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union “an evil empire”, it turns out he was actually on to something. In his excruciatingly-researched examination of Cold War politics, David E. Hoffman categorically examines the deception and lies of military generals and scientists behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s. The title of the book refers to the semi-automated “Doomsday Machine” of the USSR, aka “Project Perimeter” that would retaliate with nuclear missiles against the US in the event of a pre-emptive attack. In other words: Dr. Strangelove wasn’t actually fiction.And it turns out the Arms Race was not just about nuclear warheads; the Kremlin flagrantly ignored international bans on developing chemical and biological weapons, pouring billions of dollars ... moreinto developing lethal pathogens resistant to strains of antibiotics and antedotes. When some of these pathogens leaked out and resulted in civilian outbreaks of smallpox and anthrax, the USSR systematically denied and covered up the evidence of its weapons development program using many of the draconian methods we see in Sochi still today. The fall of the USSR is no less terrifying – the lack of infrastructure and security left thousands of warheads and highly enriched uranium (literally) lying around in unguarded warehouses, gym lockers, and passenger trains that were ditched in the middle of nowhere. You cannot make this stuff up. And don’t worry, the U.S. hardly comes out immaculate; at a peace summit with USSR leader Mikhail in Reyjavik in 1986, Pres. Reagan’s cowboy stoicism and obsession with building laser beams in outer space cost the world nuclear disarmament agreements. Thanks, Ron. This is a dense, fascinating read that is both enlightening, well-researched, and terrifying.
review 2: Near the end of the cold war, not only were we engaged in a nuclear arms race, but the Soviets were pursuing an illegal and clandestine biological and chemical program. When the USSR collapsed, super-bugs, bomb grade fissile material were left in hundreds of location often poorly (if at all) guarded. The scientists working on these projects, left unpaid, with no means to support their families, open to temptation from rogue states. This is a tale of missed opportunities and just blind luck. I hope this has been cleared up, but I doubt it. less

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