The Bomb in the Basement: How Israel Went Nuclear and What That Means for the World

by Michael Karpin

Shares lesser-known information about how Israel became the Middle East's only nuclear power, offering insight into how the nation has succeeded in maintaining the secrecy of its nuclear program, the role of America in financing and developing the Israeli bomb, and the ways in which Israeli weapons capabilities shape regional politics. 35,000 first printing.

Genres: History, Politics

Hardcover

First published January 3, 2006

Reviews

[Sully Augustine]

3 stars out of 5 - I read a hardbound from the library over the past few evenings. It was interesting, but somewhat of a difficult read because the author jumped around some even though he was ostensibly relating the complex history in chronological order. I could be wrong, but I also sometimes got the impression that the author was actually confused about some of the underlying science and technology rather than merely writing in a somewhat confusing manner. Worth a read if you want to get deep in the weeds of Israel's long-term efforts to attain and nuclear capability.

[Thomas London]

Research for one of my own novels, a loose history of the Israeli nuclear program. A few revelations, and decently written.

[Jared]

As a lover of all things Israeli I enjoyed this book very much as it documented the circumstances that lead to Israel becoming a nuclear power (allegedly). It was very interesting how the direct linkage from Holocaust to Israel to we need nuclear power is shown. Perhaps the best factor in determining if this ambition was and is successful was the fact that Saddam decided against arming SCUDS with chemical weapons in Gulf War 1. The most amazing thing is perhaps that Israel still has no official acknowledgment of it's nuclear weapons program or capabilities. If they can hide it so well we should be very weary of all those crazy fools in Iran!

[Ferris Mx]

It was hard to keep track of the players in the internecine Israeli governments.

I was surprised to find the French instrumental in assisting Israel's nuclear goals. It was also interesting to read about how the U.S. political situation evolved, from Eisenhower's blase approach to Israel to Kennedy and Johnson increasingly supporting Israel to garner Jewish electoral and financial support at home. It saddens me how much that support has eroded. Israel has made mistakes with the settlements policy, for sure. But it is still the regional underdog, only allowed to survive because of the nuclear deterrent effect.

[Mike]

This book provides valuable insight into the history of the Israeli nuclear program and the political atmosphere surrounding it.