The New Terror: Facing the Threat of Biological and Chemical Weapons [Paperback]

SIDNEY D. DREL (Author), Abraham D. Sofaer (Author), George D. Wilson (Author), Sidney D. Drell (Author)

Book Description

Series: HOOVER INST PRESS PUBLICATION | Publication Date: November 15, 1999

The growing threat of biological and chemical weapons (BCW) has created the frightening prospect of terrorist attacks by states, state-sanctioned terrorist organizations, and destructive individuals loose in our midst. What can we do to prepare for this threat? This illuminating and often disturbing book brings together the views of leading thinkers—in science, medicine, international and constitutional law, law enforcement, intelligence, and crisis management—on all diverse aspects of this challenge based on their statements at the November 1998 Hoover Institution Conference on Biological and Chemical Weapons.

The New Terror takes a hard look at the most pressing BCW issues facing the international community and realistic options for preventing, deterring against, and mitigating the consequences of the use of BCW, including

How advances in biomedical science, manufacturing processes, and weapons technology are enhancing the threat of BCW

What responses are available to the U.S. intelligence community to meet current and future threats from BCW—and the major weaknesses it needs to remedy

How efforts to build BCW control regimes through treaties and inspections have been impeded by industrial concerns about protecting proprietary information and governmental concerns about sovereignty

The public health disaster that could occur if a BCW attack should actually take place—and what is being done to prepare an effective response

How constitutional constraints on law enforcement efforts work against the development of BCW in the United States

The value of threats, sanctions, and preventive strikes as a deterrent to BCW—and the risks of using nuclear weapons in this regard

The specific steps that can be taken to reduce the dangers of or mitigate the consequences of BCW attacks—and possibly lead to a norm for the nonuse of BCW

This book shows the value in not allowing our fears of BCW terrorism to run wild, so that even the basic problems of security—how to deter and what to do if deterrence fails—seem insurmountable. Much can be done to minimize the dangers posed by these weapons and to prepare for and control the damage they can cause. The New Terror is an important contribution in the effort to bridge the gap between this deadly problem and its potential solutions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Hoover Institution Press (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0817997024
• ISBN-13: 978-0817997021
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,752,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent handbook, July 14, 2000

By 

Bruce Benz - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Terror: Facing the Threat of Biological and Chemical Weapons (Paperback)

This book covers everything from the basics of the threat thru the BCW regimes to what the federal government should do to prepare for a disaster of this sort. The closing chapter is what I found the most interesting because of the discussion of ways to deter the use of BCW. The various authors each explain their positions in a thought provoking way that allowed me to think about the problem and arrive at my own conclusions that can be synconized with the writers. This book is great if you want to know what the experts think about this problem and the solutions that they have arrived at.