WMD Terrorism: Science and Policy Choices (The MIT Press) - Softcover

Maurer, Stephen M., Ed.

9780262512855: WMD Terrorism: Science and Policy Choices (The MIT Press)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262512858 ISBN 13: 9780262512855

Publisher: MIT Press, 2009

This first comprehensive overview of what scientists and scholars know about WMD terrorism clears away many of the misconceptions that surround this topic. Terrorism by means of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has been studied for decades-since the Cold War and fears of secret agents with suitcase-sized atomic bombs. Although WMD research has accelerated since September 11, 2001, much of this scholarship is hard to find, forcing nonspecialists to fall back on gut instinct and Beltway cliches. This book provides the first full-length, up-to-date, comprehensive review of what scientists and scholars know about WMD terrorism and America's options for confronting it. It also identifies multiple instances in which the conventional wisdom is incomplete or misleading. WMD Terrorism provides multidisciplinary perspectives on such topics as terrorist incentives for acquiring WMD; nuclear, radiological, biological, and chemical weapons technologies and genetically engineered weapons; sensor technologies; mathematical methods for analyzing terrorist threats and allocating defense resources; the role of domestic U.S. politics in shaping defense investments; port and airport defense; response and recovery technologies for WMD-contaminated sites; R&D incentives for bioweapon vaccines and other homeland security technologies; psychological treatment of WMD survivors; and international initiatives to limit WMD proliferation and fight terrorism. Contributors Gary Ackerman, Jeffrey M. Bale, Deborah Yarsike Ball, Eugene Bardach, Jason Christopher, C. Norman Coleman, Lois M. Davis, Thomas Edmunds, Peter Gordon, Blas Perez Henriquez, Dwight Jaffee, Robert Kirvel, Simon Labov, Stephen M. Maurer, James E. Moore II, Michael Nacht, Michael O'Hare, Qisheng Pan, Ji Young Park, Ellen Raber, Harry W. Richardson, Jeanne S. Ringel, Thomas Russell, George W. Rutherford, Christine Hartmann Siantar, Tom Slezak, Page O. Stoutland, Tammy Taylor, Michael Thompson, Richard Wheeler

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Product Description:

This first comprehensive overview of what scientists and scholars know about WMD terrorism clears away many of the misconceptions that surround this topic.

Review:

"This is a remarkable book presenting a sober and nuanced coverage of the risks and nature of possible WMD terrorism against the United States. Stephen M. Maurer has assembled a collection of pieces that cover the science and politics of the risks of a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) terrorist attack and the often subtle issues involved in preparing for, preventing, or recovering from those attacks. This volume should, and undoubtedly will, serve as the bible for genuine understanding of the threat of WMD terrorism long into the future."--Eugene B. Skolnikoff, Professor of Political Science Emeritus, MIT

"Maurer shows uncommon breadth in his vision of the full suite of natural, social, and mathematical science knowledge needed to manage the risks of WMD terrorism. The chapters of this volume provide authoritative, accessible introductions to that science. Organizations that ignore their implications cannot do their jobs."--Baruch Fischhoff, Howard Heinz University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, former President, Society for Risk Analysis

"Authoritative and analytical yet accessible to the nonspecialist, this collection of essays on the threat of terrorism with chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons covers all facets of the topic, from the motivations of terrorists to acquire and use such weapons and the technical hurdles involved, to strategies of prevention, risk assessment, and emergency response."--Jonathan B. Tucker, Ph.D., Senior Fellow, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies

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