Nuclear weapons : the road to zero / edited by Joseph Rotblat ; executive editor, Frank Blackaby.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction and Summary / Frank Blackaby -- Pt. 1. A Nuclear-Weapon-Free World. 1. The Anatomy of the Argument / Michael MccGwire. 2. The Phased Elimination of Nuclear Weapons / Cathleen Fisher. 3. Verifying Nuclear Disarmament / Steve Fetter. 4. Societal Verification / Frank Blackaby. 5. Reducing the Threat of Nuclear Theft / John P. Holdren and Matthew Bunn. 6. Breakout from a Nuclear Weapons Convention / Tom Milne and Joseph Rotblat -- Pt. 2. The Road to Zero: Progress and Regress. 7. Progress in Nuclear Weapons Reductions / Thomas B. Cochran, Robert S. Norris and Christopher E. Paine. 8. Ballistic Missile Defence: Enduring Questions / John Pike. 9. Nuclear Weapon Development Without Nuclear Testing? / Richard L. Garwin and Vadim A. Simonenko. 10. Western Nuclear Doctrine: Changes and Influences / Daniel Plesch. 11. Russian Nuclear Disarmament Dilemmas / Alexander Nikitin. 12. Prospects for Further Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament Treaties / Rebecca Johnson.

13. Nuclear Disarmament: Closing the Gaps / Jan Prawitz.

This volume of essays, a map of the "road to zero," gives the reader a primer on the current state of nuclear disarmament, provides an up-to-date argument for the merits of a nuclear-weapon-free world, and outlines the steps needed to attain that goal. Its editor is Joseph Rotblat, the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize winner. The volume assesses recent efforts by scholars, military leaders, and political figures to advocate the elimination of nuclear weapons.

It brings to focus the major dilemmas of disarmament, including verification, nuclear theft, and diplomatic and security issues; and argues for why these obstacles must be overcome. Finally, a comprehensive review of the steps needed to achieve a nuclear-weapon-free world is presented.