Atomic Obsession; Nuclear Alarmism from Hiroshima to Al-Qaeda
New York: Oxford University Press, 2012. First Paperback Edition, First printing [stated]. Trade paperback. xiii, [3], 319, [1] pages. Cover has minor soiling. Preface, Notes, References, Index. John E. Mueller (born June 21, 1937) is an American political scientist in the field of international relations. He is recognized for his ideas concerning "the banality of ethnic war" and the theory that major world conflicts are quickly becoming obsolete. Mueller's 2004 book, The Remnants of War, was awarded Georgetown University's Lepgold Prize as that year's best book on international relations. Mueller's 2010 book Atomic Obsession presents the case that nuclear weapons have had little historical significance, that their destructive power is hysterically exaggerated, that nuclear proliferation has been slower and more limited than mainstream predictions, and that such weapons are practically useless and are a waste of money, time, and talent. Mueller's book War, Presidents and Public Opinion was awarded the first Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut in 2007, for being "a trailblazing book in public opinion research, in political science, and in the use of the Roper Center’s data." This book featured the first definition of what is known as the Rally Round the Flag Syndrome. More