Though the end of the Cold War was supposed to bring the threat of nuclear war to a close, Helen Caldicott shows that instead, the threat has reappeared in a different form. Her startling book reveals how arms dealers like Lockheed Martin have been able to advance their trade by manipulating and accelerating America's military to its present crisis. This updated edition includes an introduction discussing Bush administration conflicts of interest in the attack on and rebuilding Iraq. The book warns of the incredible dangers inherent in allowing weapons manufacturers to dictate foreign policy. Recounting the history of government collusion with the industry, Caldicott shows how the merging of weapons firms in the 1980's created hugely powerful "death merchant," including Lockheed Martin and others, ready to lobby politicians and manipulate public opinions on behalf of their corporate interests. With fear fueling the American public's willingness to grant the government broad power to wage war, the constant pressure from the weapons manufacturers to use military force, and the destabilization of the Indian subcontinent, the threat of Nuclear War is becoming very real.
Enumerating, as a physician, the medical consequences of such a war, Caldicott demonstrates conclusively that the notion of nuclear survival is a fantasy and that nuclear victory is an oxymoron. The new edition details the costs of operation Iraqi Freedom, the names of companies profiting from the war and the construction and administration of post-war Iraq, their ties to the administration, as well as the destabilizing nuclear situation in North Korea.