Programme:

About the Book:

In Right of Boom, national security specialist Benjamin Schwartz looks at what could happen after a nuclear explosion takes place in the United States, the event that Presidents Obama and Bush, as well as would-be Presidents Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton, have acknowledged as the greatest single national security threat we face. Hypothesizing an explosion in downtown Washington, D.C., Schwartz maps out the likely ramifications while going deep into history to explore the limited range of options available to a Commander in Chief. Drawing from his experience as an analyst at the Departments of Defense, State, and Energy, Schwartz offers a fully panoramic view of a terrifying reality.

About the Author:

BEN SCHWARTZ was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Recruited by the government as a Middle East specialist, Ben entered public service through analytical positions in the Intelligence Community. After completing a Master Degree in International Relations with concentrations in International Economics and Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, Ben served in the Department of Energy’s Office of Intelligence as a Presidential Management Fellow (PMF). Subsequently, he worked on the Pakistan Desk at the Department of State and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy’s Countering-WMD Office, Special Operations and Combating Terrorism Office, and South and South East Asia Office. In this capacity, Ben has provided policy oversight and advocacy of presidentially approved special operations and sensitive military plans, including activities focused on countering terrorism and WMD threats. He has briefed the U.S. Congress, the National Security Council, Combatant Commands, and other U.S. government agencies. His writings have been published by journals such as The American Interest and Orbis and his first book Right of Boom was published in January 2015 by Overlook Press.

Co-hosted by SMU School of Social Sciences and RSIS.