Biological Weapons: Limiting the Threat (BCSIA Studies in International Security) [Paperback]

Joshua Lederberg (Editor), William S. Cohen (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262621282 | ISBN-13: 978-0262621281 | Publication Date: May 7, 1999

foreword by William S. Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defense Biological weapons pose a horrifying and growing threat to the United States and to the world in general. Revelations about Iraq's weapons research and the plans of the Aum Shinrikyo cult in Japan serve as frightening reminders of the potential for military or terrorist use of biological agents.The essays in this book, many of which were originally published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, examine the medical, scientific, and political dimensions of limiting the threat posed by biological weapons. The contributors consider the current threat posed by biological weapons, the history of attempts to control them, episodes in which biological agents have been used, Iraq's biological warfare program, and policies that the United States might pursue to reduce the threat.Contributors : Suzanne Barth, Pamela Berkowsky, Kristin A. Birkness, Stephen Black, W. Russell Byrne, W. Seth Carus, Marie Chevrier, George W. Christopher, Theodore J. Cieslak, Richard Danzig, Edward M. Eitzen, Jr., Charles C. Engel, James R. Ferguson, Laurence R. Foster, David R. Franz, Arthur M. Friedlander, Carol S. Fullerton, Jeanne Guillemin, Charles E. Haley, Harry C. Holloway, David L. Hoover, John M. Horan, Martin Hugh-Jones, Peter B. Jahrling, Robert P. Kadlec, Akiko Kimura, Shellie A. Kolavic, Alexander Langmuir, John R. Livengood, Karl Lowe, Steven Mauvais, David J. McClain, Matthew Meselson, Ann E. Norwood, Julie A. Pavlin, Graham S. Pearson, Ilona Popova, Alexis Shelokov, Jeffrey D. Simon, Shauna L. Simons, Michael R. Skeels, Laurence Slutsker, Robert Sokolow, Robert V. Tauxe, Thomas J. Török, Jonathan B. Tucker, Robert J. Ursano, Victor Utgoff, Ann M. Vrtis, Robert P. Wise, Olga Yampolskaya, Allan P. Zellicoff, Raymond A. Zilinskas

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Biological warfare is probably the most serious direct threat toU.S. national security, and no one knows more about this threat thanJoshua Lederberg." Leslie H. Gelb , President, Council on Foreign Relations

About the Author

Joshua Lederberg is a Nobel Laureate, President Emeritus of Rockefeller University, and Senior Associate at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (May 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262621282
• ISBN-13: 978-0262621281
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,988 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Student's Must-Have Handbook, June 11, 2000

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John J. Montes (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Biological Weapons: Limiting the Threat (BCSIA Studies in International Security) (Paperback)

Biological Weapons:Limiting the Threat is an excellent source of information for the student concerned with national security and/or terrorism issues. Joshua Lederberg has done an excellent job of editing the various chapters; all of them informative. What makes this book stand apart from others is that Biological Weapons was originally a series of articles written for the American Medical Association, a departure from the norm that is the political/sociological field. The book does justice to various issues centered on BW warfare, such as methods of deployment, historical analyses of past events, and so on. The only qualm that I have as a reader was that after reading a number of chapters, many of the chapters focused on the same events, causing some repetition, though not the fault of the editor or the authors, each of them writing and reviewing the chapters as works capable of standing on their own. All in all, a book worth acquiring for a library specializing in international security issues.