Annie Jacobsen, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and bestselling author, dives deep into the unsettling realities of nuclear warfare. She highlights the critical six-minute decision-making window faced by the U.S. President during a nuclear threat. Jacobsen reveals the devastating humanitarian impacts of nuclear strikes and the terrifying potential of electromagnetic pulse attacks on infrastructure. Drawing from her extensive interviews with experts, she emphasizes the stark need for transparency and effective communication among nuclear powers to avert disaster.
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insights INSIGHT
Deterrence Paradox
Nuclear deterrence relies on mutually assured destruction, the idea that massive arsenals prevent their use.
However, this logic coexists with outdated systems and policies like launch-on-warning, increasing the risk of accidental war.
question_answer ANECDOTE
False Alarm
In 1979, Bill Perry received a terrifying call about incoming ICBMs and SLBMs, seemingly confirming a nuclear attack.
It turned out to be a false alarm caused by a training tape mistakenly inserted into the warning system.
insights INSIGHT
Overflying Russia
US ICBMs targeting North Korea must overfly Russia, creating a risk of misinterpretation as an attack on Russia.
This risk is compounded by Russia's flawed early warning systems, which could mistake the trajectory.
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In 'Nuclear War: A Scenario', Annie Jacobsen presents a meticulously researched and chilling scenario of a nuclear war. The book begins with a surprise nuclear attack by North Korea on the United States, triggering a cascade of events that involve multiple nations and lead to catastrophic consequences. Jacobsen draws on exclusive interviews with military and civilian experts, as well as recently declassified government reports, to outline the minute-by-minute unfolding of a nuclear conflict. The book highlights the dangers of the 'Launch on Warning' policy, the inadequacy of current nuclear defenses, and the devastating impact on global civilization, including the immediate destruction, long-term environmental damage, and the eventual collapse of societal structures. Jacobsen's work serves as a call to action for disarmament and a stark reminder of the existential threat posed by nuclear weapons.
"Ring one: total annihilation; no cellular life remains. Ring two, another three-mile diameter out: everything is ablaze. Ring three, another three or five miles out on every side: third-degree burns among almost everyone. You are talking about people who may have gone down into the secret tunnels beneath Washington, DC, escaped from the Capitol and such: people are now broiling to death; people are dying from carbon monoxide poisoning; people who followed instructions and went into their basement are dying of suffocation. Everywhere there is death, everywhere there is fire.
"That iconic mushroom stem and cap that represents a nuclear blast — when a nuclear weapon has been exploded on a city — that stem and cap is made up of people. What is left over of people and of human civilisation." —Annie Jacobsen
In today’s episode, host Luisa Rodriguez speaks to Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author Annie Jacobsen about her latest book, Nuclear War: A Scenario.
The most harrowing findings from Annie’s hundreds of hours of interviews with nuclear experts.
What happens during the window that the US president would have to decide about nuclear retaliation after hearing news of a possible nuclear attack.
The horrific humanitarian impacts on millions of innocent civilians from nuclear strikes.
The overlooked dangers of a nuclear-triggered electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack crippling critical infrastructure within seconds.
How we’re on the razor’s edge between the logic of nuclear deterrence and catastrophe, and urgently need reforms to move away from hair-trigger alert nuclear postures.
And plenty more.
Chapters:
Cold open (00:00:00)
Luisa’s intro (00:01:03)
The interview begins (00:02:28)
The first 24 minutes (00:02:59)
The Black Book and presidential advisors (00:13:35)
False alarms (00:40:43)
Russian misperception of US counterattack (00:44:50)
A narcissistic madman with a nuclear arsenal (01:00:13)
Is escalation inevitable? (01:02:53)
Firestorms and rings of annihilation (01:12:56)
Nuclear electromagnetic pulses (01:27:34)
Continuity of government (01:36:35)
Rays of hope (01:41:07)
Where we’re headed (01:43:52)
Avoiding politics (01:50:34)
Luisa’s outro (01:52:29)
Producer and editor: Keiran Harris Audio engineering team: Ben Cordell, Simon Monsour, Milo McGuire, and Dominic Armstrong Additional content editing: Katy Moore and Luisa Rodriguez Transcriptions: Katy Moore
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