Weapons of Mass Deterrence

"What we need is deterrence, not victory in war." — David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister.

Since its inception, the State of Israel has had to confront the issue of its very survival in the region. It was this concern that led Ben-Gurion to pursue a project that eventually became the “Dimona” nuclear project – an “open secret” that later turned Israel into a de facto nuclear state in the Middle East. Paradoxically, the best weapon Israel has in its arsenal is the one it has never openly acknowledged.

But how does Israel’s opaque nuclear deterrence work? How has Israel’s hidden power affected the decision-making of seemingly unrestrained Arab state leaders like Saddam Hussein and the Ayatollah regime in Iran? And what will Israel’s strategy become in the face of the potential loss of its nuclear monopoly?

The first book of its kind, Weapons of Mass Deterrence reveals how Israel’s undeclared nuclear capabilities became an integral part of its general strategy to survive in the Middle East. Veteran Israeli journalist Dan Sagir puts together an eye-opening and captivating account of the Israeli nuclear dimension of the conflict, peering into the state of mind of both its leaders and its enemies. Sagir expertly navigates the complicated timeline of the Dimona project’s impact, including the vocal opposition and cautious support it garnered, the international prices Israel had to pay, and the security it seemingly provided.

With excerpts from the “Saddam Hussein Records” and hundreds of files, interviews, articles, and sources, Weapons of Mass Deterrence exposes the real secret behind the most speculated topic in international politics. Sagir’s intimate knowledge and years of meticulous research are distilled into a gripping, never-seen-before document chronicling the project that shaped the face of the State of Israel, the Middle East, and the global political landscape.