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Atomic Backfires

When Nuclear Policies Fail

Part of Belfer Center Studies in International Security

Foreword by Scott D. Sagan
Edited by Stephen Herzog, Giles David Arceneaux, Ariel F. W. Petrovics
$55.00 US
The MIT Press
24 per carton
On sale Dec 16, 2025 | 9780262051859
Sales rights: World
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A sobering edited volume on how efforts to reduce nuclear weapons dangers may sometimes wind up exacerbating them.

The existential risks posed to the world by nuclear weapons are growing. Efforts to halt nuclear proliferation, manage crises, promote arms control, and build alliances are all considered fundamental to reducing the likelihood of nuclear catastrophe. Yet, no tool is guaranteed to succeed and some may even have unanticipated, counterproductive consequences for international security.

In a field fixated on finding solutions, Atomic Backfires, edited by Stephen Herzog, Giles David Arceneaux, and Ariel F. W. Petrovics, provocatively takes the opposite tack. An impressive group of contributors calls for close scrutiny of “standard operating procedures” in nuclear politics. They warn decision makers, scholars, and students not to lose sight of the drivers and often calamitous effects of failed nuclear policies. The volume’s authors aim to provide insights for navigating the difficult nuclear choices pursued in Washington, D.C., and other capitals around the globe.

Contributors
David M. Allison, Giles David Arceneaux, Sarah Bidgood, Tyler Bowen, James Cameron, Hyun-Binn Cho, Eliza Gheorghe, Rebecca Davis Gibbons, Stephen Herzog, Ulrich Kühn, Ariel F. W. Petrovics, Daniel Salisbury, Lauren Sukin, Kristin Ven Bruusgaard.
ENDORSEMENTS

“Atomic Backfires is the best of policy-relevant research from an all-star cast of the best new minds in the field. Its contributors use history and theory to identify past policy failures in order to avoid future mistakes in our dangerous new nuclear world.”
—Vipin Narang, Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“Atomic Backfires offers provocative insights into the pitfalls of nuclear statecraft. As the challenges of the current nuclear age are becoming increasingly complex, and the stakes remain high, these lessons learned from past experiences could not be more timely.”
—Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, Professor of War Studies, King’s College London

“The impressive analyses in Atomic Backfires demonstrate that the road to hell in nuclear policy—from negotiating arms control to implementing economic sanctions to issuing military threats—is sometimes paved with good intentions. Leaders and analysts ignore these findings at their own peril.”
—Keir Lieber, Professor of Foreign Service and Government, Georgetown University

About

A sobering edited volume on how efforts to reduce nuclear weapons dangers may sometimes wind up exacerbating them.

The existential risks posed to the world by nuclear weapons are growing. Efforts to halt nuclear proliferation, manage crises, promote arms control, and build alliances are all considered fundamental to reducing the likelihood of nuclear catastrophe. Yet, no tool is guaranteed to succeed and some may even have unanticipated, counterproductive consequences for international security.

In a field fixated on finding solutions, Atomic Backfires, edited by Stephen Herzog, Giles David Arceneaux, and Ariel F. W. Petrovics, provocatively takes the opposite tack. An impressive group of contributors calls for close scrutiny of “standard operating procedures” in nuclear politics. They warn decision makers, scholars, and students not to lose sight of the drivers and often calamitous effects of failed nuclear policies. The volume’s authors aim to provide insights for navigating the difficult nuclear choices pursued in Washington, D.C., and other capitals around the globe.

Contributors
David M. Allison, Giles David Arceneaux, Sarah Bidgood, Tyler Bowen, James Cameron, Hyun-Binn Cho, Eliza Gheorghe, Rebecca Davis Gibbons, Stephen Herzog, Ulrich Kühn, Ariel F. W. Petrovics, Daniel Salisbury, Lauren Sukin, Kristin Ven Bruusgaard.

Praise

ENDORSEMENTS

“Atomic Backfires is the best of policy-relevant research from an all-star cast of the best new minds in the field. Its contributors use history and theory to identify past policy failures in order to avoid future mistakes in our dangerous new nuclear world.”
—Vipin Narang, Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security and Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“Atomic Backfires offers provocative insights into the pitfalls of nuclear statecraft. As the challenges of the current nuclear age are becoming increasingly complex, and the stakes remain high, these lessons learned from past experiences could not be more timely.”
—Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer, Professor of War Studies, King’s College London

“The impressive analyses in Atomic Backfires demonstrate that the road to hell in nuclear policy—from negotiating arms control to implementing economic sanctions to issuing military threats—is sometimes paved with good intentions. Leaders and analysts ignore these findings at their own peril.”
—Keir Lieber, Professor of Foreign Service and Government, Georgetown University

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