Episode 8. Atomic Backfires in a New Nuclear Age: Dr. Stephen Herzog on a Crumbling Nuclear Order, Missile Shields, New Wars and Old Bombs

Eighty years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the nuclear order stands at a crossroads. Treaties strain, rivalries deepen and emerging technologies challenge decades of strategic balance. What happens when nuclear policies fail—and the safeguards meant to prevent catastrophe start to crack?In this gripping episode of Geopulse, host Tamim Asey speaks with Dr. Stephen Herzog, one of the world’s leading experts on nuclear governance and arms control. From his work at the Middlebury Institute and Harvard’s Project on Managing the Atom to his upcoming MIT Press book Atomic Backfires: When Nuclear Policies Fail, Dr. Herzog brings unparalleled insight into the forces shaping our nuclear future.We explore:•The state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime eight decades after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.•How public opinion worldwide is shifting on nuclear weapons and arms control.•The dangerous nuclear implications of the Ukraine war.•The destabilising role of missile defence and emerging technologies.•What “policy backfires” teach us about the next nuclear crisis.A conversation for anyone who wants to understand how close we may be to the edge—and what can be done to pull back.Now available on all platforms including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music and others.