Customer Reviews

Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism

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Commander Campbell provides a useful treatise on a vital subject explaining the national emergency articulated in Executive Order 12938. "WMD Terrorism" is the textbook of choice for the Weapons of Mass Destruction scientific and technical intelligence curriculum at the Joint Military Intelligence College and has earned deserved acclaim within the US Joint Military Intelligence Community as the definitive work on the subject available to the Public in open literature. He addresses two of the most difficult intelligence topics of our era--CW/BW/nuclear weapons/missiles (WMD) or weapons of mass destruction, as well as their employment by terrorism--and effectively describes their complexities and vulnerabilities. As Chief of the DIA's Weapons Team he brings real-world credibility to scholarly writing. I recommend "Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism" to all serious students of one of the most significant and pervasive threats of ourera.

Potential terrorist use of WMD has been a topic of discussion among academics and intelligence analysts for the last 30 years or more. The continuing evolution of terrorism, to include its methods and tactics, has severely altered recent thinking about the increased potential for terrorist use of WMD. The $64,000 question among those tracking terrorist groups is "what would casue a group to resort to using WMD?". Mr. Campbell does an outstanding job of addresssing this critical issue. After a brief, but informative, discussion of the terrorist phenomenon, he presents a hypothesis, backed up by case studies, attempting to identify characteristics that may indicate a groups inclination to use WMD. Mr. Campbell's work is an excellent vehicle for both those wanting to learn about terrorism and as a foundation for academics and analysts exploring potential terrorist use of WMD. If the topic of terrorism is your interest; whether you are a student, academic, analyst, or just interested; this book should be a well used part of your reference library.

It cannot be denied that the issue of WMD has reached new prominence in academic, policy and intelligence circles during the 1990s, and especially since the 1995 Tokyo nerve gas attacks - the only actual example of WMD use by an extremist organisation. In selecting his subject matter Campbell has certainly chosen to examine a growth area. Campbell's approach is social scientific in orientation in that he provides theoretical frameworks which are employed to examine the likelihood of four extremist groups employing WMD. At the end of each case study a table is offered where the author assigns values to certain variables which are then multiplied to ascertain the likelihood of a group employing such weaponry.

The insights offered however are marred by the apparently random selection of values, and in some cases by serious typographical errors which result in mathematical nonsense. Indeed, a lax editorial process has allowed numerous flaws to be reproduced, not least of which is the mis-spelling of 'Apocalypse' on the book's cover. What lies between the covers is further hampered by a turgid and unimaginative writing style. While in certain respects Campbell has offered an interesting analysis of a new and worrying phenomenon he ultimately fails to address in sufficient detail the core of the issue : namely, who would employ such weaponry and why? In light of this one is puzzled by the positive critical reception this book has received.

For a more detailed analysis of this book and the issue of WMD generally see A.M. Muir, 'Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo', "Studies in Conflict and Terrorism", Vol. 22, No. 1, 1999.

Mr. Campbell's work, written as part of his current doctoral thesis at Hebrew University, falls behind the times regarding the rapid paced developments in the field of weapons of mass destruction. His socio-scientific approach stems from this works academic research requirement which was spun off as a coffee table book treatment of this important field. Well researched concerning nuclear weapons, but falling seriously behind in his regards concening biological or chemical weapons. I would recommend this book for those that need a very, very basic, primer concerning nuclear weapons but nothing more.