Nuclear Countdown, or, Why We Need to Start Worrying and Stop the Bomb
Current Affairs29 Heinä 2024

Nuclear Countdown, or, Why We Need to Start Worrying and Stop the Bomb

Get new episodes early at patreon.com/CurrentAffairs!

Nuclear weapons are always lurking there in the background, out in remote places where we don't have to think about them, but ready to be fired at any time. Journalist Sarah Scoles was interested to find out more about the people who maintain the system of nuclear weapons. What do they do and how do they explain it to themselves? In a very real sense, they have to spend their days preparing to commit the worst imaginable genocide, should the need arise. It's eerie and disturbing to realize how quickly an unprecedented horror could take place, and how much depends on having sane and competent world leaders.

Today Sarah joins to discuss her book Countdown: The Blinding Future of Nuclear Weapons and what she learned about nuclear war and the systems that make it a terrifyingly real possibility.

For more on this topic, see these Current Affairs articles:

Taking World War III Seriously

Why It's So Hard to Face the Threat Posed By Nuclear Weapons

Pretending It Isn't There

Sarah's book was reviewed here in the New York Times.

Jaksot(600)

Is This San Francisco’s Zohran Mamdani? (w/ Saikat Chakrabarti)

Is This San Francisco’s Zohran Mamdani? (w/ Saikat Chakrabarti)

Saikat Chakrabarti, co-founder of Justice Democrats and former chief of staff to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, joins Nathan J. Robinson to discuss his 2026 congressional campaign to unseat Nancy Pelosi, t...

11 Elo 202541min

This Surgeon Criticized UnitedHealth on TikTok—Then They Threatened to Sue (w/ Dr. Elisabeth Potter)

This Surgeon Criticized UnitedHealth on TikTok—Then They Threatened to Sue (w/ Dr. Elisabeth Potter)

Dr. Elisabeth Potter, a reconstructive surgeon and healthcare advocate, joins Nathan J. Robinson and Emily Topping to discuss her viral criticism of UnitedHealth, the systemic cruelty of the insurance...

5 Elo 202537min

Rise of the Idiot Interviewer

Rise of the Idiot Interviewer

Podcast bros are interviewing presidents and power players without doing basic research beforehand. The result is a propagandistic catastrophe.💀 Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/...

28 Heinä 202521min

What Democrats Refuse to Fight For (w/ Max from UNFTR)

What Democrats Refuse to Fight For (w/ Max from UNFTR)

Max from UNFTR joins Nathan J. Robinson to discuss Zohran Mamdani's victory, the limits of third-party politics, and how the Democratic Party can be taken over with five bold, non-negotiable demands f...

25 Heinä 202558min

What “The System” Really Means in American Politics (w/ Barry Eisler)

What “The System” Really Means in American Politics (w/ Barry Eisler)

🦩 This episode originally aired on July 15, 2025. Get new episodes early at patreon.com/CurrentAffairsBarry Eisler, a former CIA agent and bestselling novelist, joins Nathan J. Robinson to discuss hi...

24 Heinä 20251h 7min

Israel’s Starvation Campaign in Gaza Explained (w/ Mouin Rabbani)

Israel’s Starvation Campaign in Gaza Explained (w/ Mouin Rabbani)

Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani joins Nathan J. Robinson to discuss the ongoing genocide in Gaza. They examine the illusion of ceasefire negotiations, the weaponization of humanitarian aid through t...

23 Heinä 202548min

The Epstein Case Reveals the Fraud of Trumpism

The Epstein Case Reveals the Fraud of Trumpism

MAGA followers say they want to expose powerful, predatory billionaire elites. But Donald Trump is the exact person who should be their enemy.🏝️ Read the article: https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/...

16 Heinä 202512min

MAGA Doesn't Understand Anything About The Roman Empire (w/ Honor Cargill-Martin)

MAGA Doesn't Understand Anything About The Roman Empire (w/ Honor Cargill-Martin)

Honor Cargill-Martin, a historian of the ancient world, discusses how myths about the Roman empire originated and continue to warp our political discourse.🏛️ Honor's Substack: https://allancienthisto...

14 Heinä 202548min

Suosittua kategoriassa Komedia

nikotellen
anni-jaajo
tuplakaak
antin-matka
olipa-kerran-otsikko
ihan-oikeesti
rss-saarinen-shoy
antin-palautepalvelu
rss-nikotellen
antin-elokuvakerho
puurojengi
naakkavalta
rss-kaheli
kasper-ja-mikko-suomen-suosituin-podcast
rss-kuukka-vehvilainen-hartlin
ela-viitti
rss-sami-jorma
rss-ruokacast
everypodi
mysteeripodcast