Abstract
Although the nature of its threat is still debated, a number of narratives focus on an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack from a nuclear device detonated high in the atmosphere. The immediate effect is a near-total blackout and this fiction accordingly explores the possibilities of survival—individual or collective—in the civic breakdown which follows. Particular attention is given to William R. Forstchen’s trilogy starting with One Second After. Closely connected are cyberattacks, sometimes via the Internet, as described by Mark Russinovich and others. Instances are examined of what has been described as America’s “electronic Pearl Harbor”. The discussion includes Bill Clinton’s 2018 novel The President Is Missing.
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Seed, D. (2019). EMP and Cyberterrorism. In: US Narratives of Nuclear Terrorism Since 9/11. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54328-8_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54328-8_7
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Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54327-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54328-8
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