How to Build a Nuclear Bomb: And Other Weapons of Mass Destruction (Nation Books) - Softcover

Barnaby, Dr Frank

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1560256036 ISBN 13: 9781560256038

Publisher: Bold Type Books, 2004

Synopsis

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are the greatest threat to national security in the twenty-first century. How to Build a Nuclear Bomb explains what it takes for a rogue state or terrorist group to obtain and use them. But nuclear weapons and terrorism expert Frank Barnaby has not written a collection of scare stories. His purpose in How to Build a Nuclear Bomb is to counteract the "misinformation, often put out for propaganda purposes" and general ignorance on this most urgent of topics. Barnaby describes, in straightforward, non-sensational terms what is involved when a state or a terrorist group sets out to make a weapon of mass destruction, what they are capable of doing, and what is needed to produce one. By outlining the parameters of the problem, Barnaby is able to accurately gauge the threat that WMD pose, arguing that counterterrorist measures urgently need to be stepped up to meet the challenges of a new era of international terror.

About this title

Review:

How to Build a Nuclear Bomb is a timely and sobering book, but it is not exactly what its title suggests; it is not a DIY handbook for wannabe terrorists. Although it does indeed outline the technical requirements necessary for building a nuclear bomb and the other main WMD (weapons of mass destruction), the details necessary for manufacturing such devices have long been available on the web and in published manuals for many years now. Frank Barnaby's stated aim is to promote informed debate about the risks and measures needed to protect vulnerable democratic societies against the use of WMDs by international terrorists. As he says currently, the debate is far from informed, mainly because of the large amount of inaccurate information and misinformation in circulation.

How to Build a Nuclear Bomb seeks to inform the debate. And, thanks to Barnaby's deep knowledge of the subject and ability to communicate what are sometimes complex technical matters clearly, this aim is achieved. Juxtaposed with the more technical details of bomb-making are equally technical details of what the results are on the victims. How to Build a Nuclear Bomb should be essential reading for anyone claiming to have an opinion on the subject or thinking that they should be informed about the topic, even politicians and journalists.

Nuclear terrorism is a very real and growing problem. As Mohamed El Baradei, Director General of the International Atomic Agency Council, warns the willingness of terrorists to commit suicide to achieve their evil aims makes the nuclear terrorism threat far more likely today than it was before September 11. Nevertheless, as Barnaby shows here, the threat posed by biological and chemical weapons is just as important as that of nuclear weapons, especially because so many of them are really easy to make. How to Build a Nuclear Bomb is not for those of a nervous disposition and does not make for comfortable bedtime reading. Maps, notes, websites and an index complete an invaluable book. --Douglas Palmer

Review:

"A straightforward and unhysterical guide to some of the more hair-raising nuclear, chemical and biological threats that have dominated the post-11 September world."

About this edition

• Publisher: Bold Type Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1560256036
• ISBN 13: 9781560256038
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256