Summary

Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are the most advanced and lethal armaments developed by contemporary scientists and engineers. They are not designed for combat limited to the battlefield; their purpose is to unleash a sweeping destructive force that does not some discriminate between soldier and civilian. Although most governments adhere to strict international treaties regarding the management of their stocks of such weapons, rogue regimes and terrorist groups remain an unpredictable and volatile variable.

Weapons of Mass Destruction provides an objective analysis of a subject easily distorted by fear. It begins with a history of the ancient and medieval use in warfare of biological weapons, and how governments and terrorist factions have refined this practice to include biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons as a means of coercion or as a deterrent. The book examines past and current U.S. policies regarding WMD—including the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II—and how an arms race ultimately led to a cold war with the Soviet Union. The volume then offers an international perspective through discussion of how other major players—Russia, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea—have each chosen to approach the issue of WMD.

Specifications

Maps. Index. Bibliography. Glossary. Chronology. Tables and charts.

About the Author(s)

Michael Kort is professor of social science at Boston University and holds a Ph.D. in history from New York University. He is the author of The Soviet Colossus: A History of the USSR, Sixth Edition and Facts On File's A Brief History of Russia.

Foreword author Cathal J. Nolan is associate professor of history at Boston University and the executive director of the International History Institute. He holds a Ph.D. in international history and international relations and has a diploma in international human rights. Nolan has published extensively in the field of international relations and global affairs, and won the 2006 Outstanding Teaching Award for the Honors Program at Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences.