This volume brings together key writings by Prof. Ramesh Thakur on the challenge of nuclear weapons, covering more than three decades of researching, thinking and writing on the topic.

Ramesh Thakur is Director of the Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament in the Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University. A former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, he is the author/editor of 50 books and 400 journal articles and book chapters, including, most recently, The Group of Twenty (G20) (Routledge, 2013); Nuclear Weapons: The State of Play (2013); and The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy (2013); and the Editor-in-Chief of Global Governance.

Preface: A Tale from Hiroshima 1. Introduction PART ONE: THE NUCLEAR DEBATE 2. Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament: Can the Power of Ideas Tame the Power of the State? 3. The Nuclear Debate 4. Envisioning Nuclear Futures PART TWO: REGIONAL CHALLENGES IN ASIA, THE PACIFIC AND THE MIDDLE EAST 5. The Last Bang Before a Total Ban: French Nuclear Testing in the Pacific 6. The Nuclear Option in India's Security Policy 7. The South Asian Nuclear Challenge 8. The Inconsequential Gains and Lasting Insecurities of India's Nuclear Weaponization 9. Follow the Yellowcake Road: Balancing Australia's Security, Commercial and Bilateral National Interests against International Anti-Nuclear Interests 10. Capping North Korea's Weapons and Iran's Capability PART THREE: THE NUCLEAR REGIME 11. Stepping Stones to a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World 12. NPT Regime Change: Has the Good Become the Enemy of the Best? 13. The Global Governance Architecture of Nuclear Security 14. The Problem of Nuclear Weapons and What To Do About It