In his earlier books, William Langewiesche focused on large and fundamentally empty spaces: the Sahara desert and the sky (as transformed by the invention of flight). Recently, however, he has been drawn to more chaotic subjects. In American Ground he described the monumental ruin at Manhattan's Ground Zero, while The Outlaw Sea envisioned the ocean itself as a kind of watery Wild West. Now, in The Atomic Bazaar: The Rise of the Nuclear Poor, he take on the burgeoning threat of nuclear proliferation. Netscape's James Marcus began a conversation with the author by asking him about the genesis of his new book.

William Langewiesche: The real basis for this book came from sitting in Baghdad, where I've spent a lot of time since 2003, and observing the catastrophe that has resulted from demonizing a political opponent.

Netscape: You're talking about Saddam Hussein.

Langewiesche: Right. I was working for The Atlantic when I began this book. During the run-up to the 2003 invasion, we published a story with a cover illustration of Saddam Hussein--and it was an image of a demonic figure. I remember saying to my friends at the magazine, "We shouldn't be doing this. Let us not demonize this guy. It's a mistake."

Netscape: And why was it a mistake?

Langewiesche: If you believe that the very acquisition of a nuclear weapon by a Third World country is a sign of inherent evil, then you're in trouble. The fact is that nuclear weapons are extremely effective systems for achieving political power. And the decision to acquire them (though loaded with risk, of course, for the individual country) is actually a logical, rational move.

Netscape: And what if Saddam Hussein had actually possessed nuclear weapons?

Langewiesche: If you look at the specifics, at the tangible details on the ground, there's no evidence that Saddam Hussein would have been any more willing to use these weapons than we have been. Saddam Hussein was an extremely rational man. Sure, he was a bad guy, he killed lots of people. But it was all about consolidating his power. He was not going to use these weapons and see his country wiped out due to a nuclear response.