The effects of nuclear war
In The Doomsday Machine, Daniel Ellsberg explains with scientific precision what exactly the effects of a nuclear bomb really are. He explains that radiation and the blast radius (although unimaginably dangerous and scary) are in fact not the only risks of thermonuclear exchange. The bombs also reach high enough in the atmosphere to damage the ozone layer. That is quite horrifying, because that means that perhaps enough bombs could send the earth past a point of no return, leading to an expedited climate change that could threaten life on the planet.
The effect of bureaucracy
The book also shows that in addition to the technical, scientific threats of nuclear war, there are the same risks for violence that have always existed. The government is layered and complex, and the effects of bureaucracy in the government might lead politicians to unwise geopolitical decisions that could precipitate war. He outlines an instance of bureaucracy when the president, Eisenhower, gave the right to his subordinates to launch nuclear missiles without his permission or knowledge.
The horror of civilian casualty
Ellsberg also reminds his reader that in instances of nuclear war, the battle is not for strategic military advantages in some remote location. The battles are to decimate civilian life through demolishing entire cities. One nuclear bomb could have catastrophic effects, leading as history has shown, to the death of millions in one fell swoop. The horror of the thought of nuclear bombs being used to murder innocent civilians is terrifying, but that is the truth about the geopolitical state of the world.
