In their earlier book, published in 1997, Georges Charpak and Richard Garwin showed that the military uses of nuclear power posed a much greater threat than the civilian applications. Various factors were responsible: the proliferation of nuclear weapons among states lacking democratic checks and balances; the risk of nuclear attacks perpetrated by well-funded multinational organisations; the probability of accidents occurring in ageing nuclear arsenals.
Recent events support the authors’ earlier analysis. Increased use of nuclear energy means greater risks. But the authors now warn political leaders and the public of the growing threat posed by civilian uses of nuclear power. They argue that security measures have become increasingly lax, raising the spectre of a new Chernobyl.
The dangers denounced here are serious, and they threaten all of us. The authors address our sense of responsibility and argue that the only way another Chernobyl will be avoided is if we remain vigilant.
This is an indispensable book for anyone wishing to find out what should be done before it is too late.

Georges Charpak is a physicist at the Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN) and a Nobel laureate in physics. His publications include La Vie à fil tendu, 1993; Feux follets et champignons nucléaires (with Richard Garwin), 1997; Enfants, chercheurs et citoyens, 1998; Devenez sorciers, devenez savants, 2002; and Soyez savants, devenez prophètes, 2004.
Richard L. Garwin, a physicist and a member of the American National Academy of Sciences, is one of the world’s top specialists in the military and civilian uses of nuclear power.
Venance Journè is a research fellow at the Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Developpement (CIRED).