It is arguably the greatest "I told you so" in the annals of international diplomacy.

Just before the United States invasion of Iraq began on March 19, 2003, United Nations weapons inspectors were pulled out of the country. Chief inspector Hans Blix was more than dismayed by the move.

At the time, the veteran Swedish diplomat told the UN Security Council, "I naturally feel sadness that three and a half months of work carried out in Iraq have not brought the assurances needed about the absence of weapons of mass destruction or other proscribed items in Iraq, that no more time is available for our inspections and that armed action now seems imminent."

Blix wanted more time, but President Bush said his time was up. In time, however, mass destruction followed in the wake of no weapons of mass destruction.

Blix, who headed the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] from 1981-1997 and who currently chairs the Stockholm-based Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, now turns his attention to an even more critical aspect of WMDs -- nuclear disarmament.

In his brief new book, Why Nuclear Disarmament Matters, Blix not only explains the current rationale behind a nuclear weapons free world but also lays out practical ways in which to tackle such an unwieldy issue.

In a lengthy exclusive interview, Playboy.com spoke with Blix about topics including his fears of a John McCain presidency, whether George Bush is a war criminal and why global warming may be more deadly than nukes.