student from Northern Germany, a young lady whose family name was Oppermann
When I taught in-company in Poland years ago, a place I did lessons at had a biggish business meeting with another related company in Germany. All the Germans had Polish surnames and all the Poles had German surnames.
And I'll betcha none of them were Jewish either, isn't that right? Off topic here, but bear in mind as well that the famous Christian Goldberg of Bach's Goldberg Variations was not Jewish, despite a family name which today in the US is probably always Jewish!
Stein and Veitch. One can be (and the other is) Scottish. Strabolgi (there was a politician called that) is also Scottish and not Italian (it comes from a place called Strathbogie).
Nuclear weapons are most needed by weak states but only strong states can possess them. Their emergence redefined the world of international relations: although they were used only once, more than 80 years ago, the fate of states is still decided today in their shadow. Despite being an instrument of ultimate destruction, many believe that their existence has contributed to the preservation of peace.
The role of nuclear weapons in politics is enormous, yet in Poland they are hardly discussed at all. Why are they a taboo subject? What are they for, and how are they used without ever being used? What mechanisms allow them to deter aggression, and which enable the enforcement of compliance? And finally: how have medium-sized states such as Poland, states that in principle are not allowed to possess nuclear weapons, been able to acquire them despite the reluctance of allies and adversaries alike? And once they acquired them, how did they "use" them to achieve their political objectives and ensure their security?
Albert Świdziński's book, written by an expert in nuclear strategy at the think tank Strategy&Future, answers all these questions. It is a handbook on how states acquire nuclear weapons - it explains why they need them, how to navigate the difficult and dangerous process of obtaining them, and how to employ them once they are in hand.
