The Nuclear Delusion: Soviet-American Relations in the Atomic Age
George F. Kennan
"Since the World War II, critics have warned us about the futility of a new war that would be fought with nuclear arms and about the dangers involved in relying on such weapons. Yet those who call for nuclear disarmament have nearly always been dismissed as naive and uninformed about the Soviet foreign policy. In The Nuclear Delusion, America's pre-eminent Soviet expert explains why the nuclear arms race has never been based on a fully realistic assessment of the Soviet Union; how its acceleration and the reliance on nuclear deterrence constitute a disastrous policy; and why a sober view of Russian-American relations today demands its immediate cessation."--Jacket.
Award History
0 wins · 2 total
| Award | Year | Result | Category / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Book Award for General Nonfiction HardcoverMajor | 1983 | Finalist | Secondary source |
| National Book Critics Circle Award for NonfictionMajor | 1982 | Finalist | Secondary source |
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies
This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.
01 Central figures
None extracted with sufficient confidence.
02 Central places
None extracted with sufficient confidence.
03 Suggested argument
The nuclear arms race and nuclear deterrence have never reflected a realistic assessment of the Soviet Union, and their acceleration constitutes a disastrous policy requiring immediate cessation.
Model confidence 74%
04 Reading orientation
35 / 100 academicSerious trade
An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.
Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 25%.