This book provides an urgent insight into how and why the world has entered a dangerous new era of catastrophic nuclear threats. After the American atomic bombing of Japan in 1945, Albert Einstein warned that 'the unleashed power of the atom has changed everything. we thus drift towards unparalleled catastrophe'. This book examines how today we are no longer drifting, but racing toward catastrophe at breakneck speed. Unparalleled catastrophe chronicles and critically analyses a broad range of events and issues at the outset of the Third Nuclear Age. From the collapse of arms control treaties and the development of hypersonic missiles to the pop culture that shapes how we think about nuclear weapons, this book explores the nuclear zeitgeist of our current moment. It illustrates how nuclear weapons intersect with the global threats posed by pandemics, populism, climate change, corruption, militarism and racism. In doing so, it examines how the Third Nuclear Age manifests in our everyday lives by drawing on a diverse range of source materials - from policy documents to pop songs.

Presenting the case for critical nuclear studies, Unparalleled catastrophe makes an important intervention into debates about nuclear weapons and international security. Today, the human race stands on the brink of catastrophe. This book tells you why and what we can do about it.