Skip to content
Description
By: William J. Perry, Tom Z. Collina
The President has the power to end the world in minutes. Right now, no one can stop him.
Since the Truman administration, America has been one "push of a button" away from nuclear war—a decision that rests solely in the hands of the President. Without waiting for approval from Congress or even the Secretary of Defense, the President can unleash America's entire nuclear arsenal.
Almost every governmental process is subject to institutional checks and balances. Why is potential nuclear annihilation the exception to the rule? For decades, glitches and slip-ups have threatened to trigger nuclear winter: misinformation, false alarms, hacked warning systems, or even an unstable President. And a new nuclear arms race has begun, threatening us all. At the height of the Cold War, Russia and the United States each built up arsenals exceeding 30,000 nuclear weapons, armed and ready to destroy each other—despite the fact that just a few hundred are necessary to end life on earth.
From authors William J. Perry, Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration and Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Carter administration, and Tom Z. Collina, the Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation in Washington, DC, The Button recounts the terrifying history of nuclear launch authority, from the faulty 46-cent microchip that nearly caused World War III to President Trump's tweet about his "much bigger & more powerful" button. Perry and Collina share their firsthand experience on the front lines of the nation's nuclear history and provide illuminating interviews with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Congressman Adam Smith, Nobel Peace Prize winner Beatrice Fihn, senior Obama administration officials, and many others.
Written in an accessible and authoritative voice, The Button reveals the shocking tales and sobering facts of nuclear executive authority throughout the atomic age, delivering a powerful condemnation against ever leaving explosive power this devastating under any one person's thumb.
The President has the power to end the world in minutes. Right now, no one can stop him.
Since the Truman administration, America has been one "push of a button" away from nuclear war—a decision that rests solely in the hands of the President. Without waiting for approval from Congress or even the Secretary of Defense, the President can unleash America's entire nuclear arsenal.
Almost every governmental process is subject to institutional checks and balances. Why is potential nuclear annihilation the exception to the rule? For decades, glitches and slip-ups have threatened to trigger nuclear winter: misinformation, false alarms, hacked warning systems, or even an unstable President. And a new nuclear arms race has begun, threatening us all. At the height of the Cold War, Russia and the United States each built up arsenals exceeding 30,000 nuclear weapons, armed and ready to destroy each other—despite the fact that just a few hundred are necessary to end life on earth.
From authors William J. Perry, Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration and Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in the Carter administration, and Tom Z. Collina, the Director of Policy at Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation in Washington, DC, The Button recounts the terrifying history of nuclear launch authority, from the faulty 46-cent microchip that nearly caused World War III to President Trump's tweet about his "much bigger & more powerful" button. Perry and Collina share their firsthand experience on the front lines of the nation's nuclear history and provide illuminating interviews with former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Congressman Adam Smith, Nobel Peace Prize winner Beatrice Fihn, senior Obama administration officials, and many others.
Written in an accessible and authoritative voice, The Button reveals the shocking tales and sobering facts of nuclear executive authority throughout the atomic age, delivering a powerful condemnation against ever leaving explosive power this devastating under any one person's thumb.
You may also like
熱銷中 Top Trending
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Sale priceFrom HK$49.00
Regular priceHK$100.00
In stock
Press Start! #16 Super Rabbit Boy vs. the Gigabot!(Branches)
Sale priceHK$48.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock
National Geographic Kids Almanac 2026 (International Edition)
Sale priceHK$105.00
Regular priceHK$160.00
In stock
Press Start! #15 Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep! (Branches)
Sale priceHK$48.00
Regular priceHK$98.00
In stock
The Princess in Black #11 and the Kitty Catastrophe
Sale priceFrom HK$49.00
Regular priceHK$70.00
In stock
InvestiGators: Agents of S.U.I.T. #03: Wild Ghost Chase
Sale priceHK$69.00
Regular priceHK$140.00
In stock
Baby-sitters Club, The #11 Graphic Novel: Good-bye Stacey, Good-bye (Ann M. Martin)
Sale priceHK$79.00
Regular priceHK$117.00
In stock
Baby-sitters Club, The #12 Graphic Novel: Jessi's Secret Language (Ann M. Martin)
Sale priceHK$85.00
Regular priceHK$117.00
In stock
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Book 2)
Sale priceFrom HK$55.00
Regular priceHK$104.00
In stock
Recently viewed
A Series of Unfortunate Events #01-13 The Complete Wreck (13 Books) (Hardback) (Lemony Snicket)
Sale priceHK$1,099.00
Regular priceHK$1,440.00
Sold out
The Blackthorn Key Cryptic Collection Books 1-4 (Boxed Set)
Sale priceHK$243.00
Regular priceHK$380.00
In stock
Captain Underpants #10 and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers Color (Hardback) (Dav Pilkey)
Sale priceHK$79.00
Regular priceHK$117.00
Sold out
Changing Bodies, Changing Lives: Expanded Third Edition
Sale priceHK$177.00
Regular priceHK$270.00
Re-stocking soon
Pitter Patter Penguin (2020 Edition): Baby's First Soft Book
Sale priceHK$105.00
Regular priceHK$169.00
In stock