New Face of Terrorism: Threats from Weapons of Mass Destruction

• NCJ Number: 190875
• Author(s): Nadine Gurr; Benjamin Cole
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 312 pages
• Sale Source: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Overview Text
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: For additional chapters see NCJ-190875-885.

Annotation

This book examined recent actions by terrorists and the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Abstract

Since the end of the Cold War, there has been an increased threat of international terrorism and the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The fear of indiscriminate attacks is balanced by the argument that such mass violence could harm the cause of radical groups by forfeiting public support, stiffening government resolve, and encouraging international cooperation. But small fanatical groups, freed from control by the superpowers, are haunting governments worldwide. Actions by Aum Shinrikyo, Timothy McVeigh, and Usamah bin-Laden have gotten the attention of leaders who state that their highest priority is preventing the acquisition of materials by terrorist groups. Although it is counterproductive to exaggerate this threat, it is vital for governments and security agencies to maintain extreme vigilance in the face of a possible disaster. Chapter One examined the emergence of the nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) debate and described the “third wave of vulnerability” of the United States. Chapter Two described the trends in terrorist activity. Chapter Three presented the technical opportunities and constraints of terrorist activities. Strategic and tactical motivations were explored in Chapter Four, as well as the disincentives to using NBC weapons. Political, as well as strategic, disincentives to using these weapons are explored in Chapter Five. Political and theological motivations were discussed in Chapter Six. Chapter Seven discussed the psychological motivations and inhibitory controls on terrorist decision making. Chapter Eight explored the external motivations, such as state-sponsored NBC terrorism. The external constraints, such as the security environment created by governmental countermeasures, were examined in Chapter Nine. And finally, Chapter Ten examined the future threat of NBC terrorism. Notes, references, appendices