The Nuclear Terrorist: His Financial Backers and Political Patrons in the US and Abroad

by Robert Gleason

The threat of nuclear terrorism and weapons of mass destruction has never been greater, yet, as this devastating exposé makes clear, America's leaders, including the last two Presidential administrations, have been shockingly lax and often chillingly reckless when it comes to protecting the United States―and the world―from the spreading threat of nuclear proliferation and the very real possibility that terrorists will stage a nuclear bombing or meltdown on American soil . . . with catastrophic results. Taking no prisoners, Robert Gleason's The Nuclear Terrorist demonstrates how time and again both the Bush and Obama administrations have placed politics and profiteering over public safety; how the government has failed to effectively guard and regulate a "peaceful" nuclear industry that is both cataclysmically expensive and apocalyptically dangerous; how America's nuclear power plants remain vulnerable to both physical and cyber attacks; and how our elected leaders and their advisors continue to do business with rogue states, untrustworthy and unstable "allies," and terrorist backers, while turning a blind eye to the all-but-inevitable consequences of such deals with the devil.

Genres: Nonfiction, Terrorism, Politics

336 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 2014

About the author

Robert Gleason was born in Michigan City, Indiana. He has an AB in English literature from Indiana University, a master’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin and he attended the Sorbonne, all of which were financed by seven hellish years in the Gary steel mills. He has worked in New York book publishing as an acquisitions editor pretty much forever. When he began, he says, he and his colleagues "chiseled books on the walls of caves." He lives in New York City

Reviews

[Wendy]

Robert Gleason's "The Nuclear Terrorist" which I won through Goodreads Giveaways is a chilling, factually- based picture of the mismanagement of nuclear facilities, the threat of nuclear proliferation and the danger of nuclear terrorism in America. With stark clarity and multiple resources to back up his argument Robert Gleason focuses on issues related to the exorbitant cost of building new reactors, the reprocessing and storage of spent fuel, liability in the event of a catastrophic incident, as well as security, and the growing threat of physical and cyber attacks. He even goes one step further indicating the human error because of a decline in safety measures that's so intrinsic with the catastrophes at Fukushima and Chernobyl and which cost countless lives because of radiation poisoning.

Time and time again his argument points to the failure of the Bush and Obama administrations to safeguard and regulate the nuclear industry because of escalating costs. With stark honesty he points out the dangers of nuclear proliferation agreements with rogue nations bent on producing weapons of mass destruction in their bid to control the world. The narrative I feel is not to frighten readers as much as it is to wake them up to a reality that has apocalyptic repercussions.

It's well-written and loaded with startling facts that leave the reader speechless and feeling powerless in the face of so much negligence and dishonesty not just in the U.S. but globally. The novel is a must read and would make a great documentary.

[Scott Oney]

Disclaimer: I received this book as part of a Goodreads first reads giveaway.

This book is a doomsday book of epic proportions. It does a good job of telling how relatively easy it would be for terrorist to wreak havoc. It also points out some of the problems facing the conventional nuclear power industry such as the inability to dispose of nuclear waste. And we need not look further than Chernobyl or Fukushima to know what even natural or human errors can do.

The book points out all the problems with our leadership in the U.S. and it’s goal of nuclear proliferation. The worst thing about this book is that it left me feeling utterly helpless. It points out problems within both the Bush administration as well as the Obama administration so how can the average Joe have any say so in what is happening.

A good read that will leave you feeling scared and helpless. Perhaps Gleason should send a copy to every senator and congressman.

[Patrick F]

Donald Rumsfield is quite the fuck.