Episode Archive : AT THE BRINK

Atomic Soldiers: Training for the Final War

During the era of atmospheric nuclear testing, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen were made to participate in nuclear tests to prepare for fighting an atomic war. Thousands more were exposed to deadly radiation while cleaning up after nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. These men were prevented from talking about their experiences for decades after, even to their doctor.

Downwinders: Fatal Harvest

As nuclear testing proceeded throughout the 1950s, evidence began to emerge showing that radioactive fallout was spreading throughout most of the continental United States. Amidst a growing epidemic of fallout-related cancer, Downwinders began to fight back, first through the courts, and later in Congress. (Part 2 of 2)

Downwinders: The Ultimate Patriots

In the race to develop the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer’s Trinity test inadvertently exposed thousands of unsuspecting American citizens to toxic radioactive fallout. This test marked the beginning of a decade-long top-secret campaign of above-ground nuclear testing in the United States. Delve into the first-hand accounts of Downwinders, the earliest casualties of the atomic age. (Part 1 of 2)

From Hope to Hostility: US Relations With Putin’s Russia

When the Cold War ended in 1992, there was great hope for the newly formed Russian Federation. They worked closely with the US to help control the thousands of loose nukes scattered around former Soviet states like Ukraine. But following a series of major economic problems, and missteps by the West, Russia turned in a new direction, when a previously obscure ex-KGB agent named Vladimir Putin took over as President in 2000. In this episode, former US Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and former US Secretary of Defense, William Perry talk about their up close and personal interactions with Russia through the 1990s and the 2000s, and try to make sense of how US-Russian relations have deteriorated to today’s dangerous hostility.

Did Ukraine Make a Mistake by Giving Up Nuclear Weapons?

In the 90s, Ukraine made the decision to dismantle the thousands of former Soviet nuclear weapons left on its territory. Nearly 3 decades later, Russia has invaded Ukraine using its own nuclear arsenal to bully other nations from interceding. In this special episode of AT THE BRINK, we explore whether Ukrainian denuclearization was a fateful mistake and if a nuclear Ukraine could have prevented the Russian invasion.