Chemical and Biological Warfare: A Comprehensive Survey for the Concerned Citizen

ISBN-13: 9781461265207 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 306 str.

Eric Croddy; J. Hart; C. Perez-Armendariz

Opis

The armaments of chemical and biological warfare (CBW) are now widely held not just by nation-states, but by terrorist and criminal enterprises. The weapons themselves are relatively inexpensive and very easy to hide, allowing organizations of just a few dozen people to deploy potentially devastating attacks. While in the twentieth century most arms-control efforts focused, rightly, on nuclear arsenals, in the twenty-first century CBW will almost certainly require just as much attention. This book defines the basics of CBW for the concerned citizen, including non-alarmist scientific descriptions of the weapons and their antidotes, methods of deployment and defensive response, and the likelihood in the current global political climate of additional proliferation.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"Croddy provides a useful handbook for anyone who wishes to know about chemical and biological weapons (CBW). ... Croddy lays out basic information in the beginning and only gradually adds complexity when the reader is ready for it. ... Croddy incorporates the latest information, including the changing tactics of terrorists and their plans to use CBW. ... Particularly useful is Croddy's discussion of the current controversy surrounding mandatory vaccination of all US military personnel ... . Recommended for both undergraduate and graduate students." (J. Granville, CHOICE, July, 2002)

"Chemical and Biological Warfare: A Comprehensive Survey for the Concerned Citizen provides extensive listings of and information about known chemical and biological agents, while keeping historical perspective and avoiding alarmism." (Morning News Dallas, July, 2002)

"Chemical And Biological Warfare analyzes the key issues related to chemical and biological warfare, detailing known chemical and biological agents, how they may be used in weaponry, and the possibilities of their use in modern conflicts. Readers seeking a technical survey of proliferation and basic concepts of chemical and biological weaponry receive more in-depth information here than in many titles." (Bookwatch, May, 2002)

"In this highly authoritative book, Croddy ... provides a realistic assessment of the dangers we actually face from chemical and biological warfare. The author uses his extensive knowledge of the technology and history of such warfare to survey key chemical and biological agents and explain their characteristics and effects on humans." (Joshua Sinai, Journal of Homeland Security, June, 2002)

"'Be Informed, Not Afraid' ... encapsulates the laudable objective of this book by Eric Croddy ... . A historical and factual approach is taken that achieves the objective of informing but not alarming the reader. It provides a succinct appreciation as to which countries still possess those weapons ... . Overall, this book is a primer for the concerned citizen, which puts the dangers of chemical and biological weapons into the context of today's world." (Graham S. Pearson, Biologist, Vol. 49 (5), 2002)

"As the title states, the authors of this book have set out to give the 'concerned citizen' a comprehensive overview of chemical and biological weapons. In their descriptions of the various agents they have succeeded very well ... . Considerable attention is given to measures for preventing war-induced epidemics ... ." (Erhard Geissler, Angewandte Chemie, Vol. 41 (16), 2002)

"The book provides a detailed survey of the key issues related to chemical and biological warfare. For the reader who wants solid and level-headed information on the current state of CBW affairs and the likelihood of its proliferation, it is indispensable." (Chemische Rundschau, Issue 14, July, 2002)

"Without playing with fears, Eric Croddy ... uses his extensive knowledge of the technology and history of chemical and biological warfare (CBW) to provide a comprehensive run-down of key CBW agents ... . In clear, non-alarmist language, Croddy provides a detailed survey of the key issues related to chemical and biological warfare. For the reader who wants solid and level-headed information on the current state of CBW affairs and the likelihood of its proliferation, this is an indispensable volume." (Science in Africa, April, 2002)

Spis treści

1: Chemical warfare (CW) history; 2: Defenses against chemical weapons; 3: Incentives and Disincentives to Acquire Chemical Weapons; 4: The Geopolitics of Proliferation; 5: Strategies for Control and Disarmament; 6: Definition of a biological warfare (BW) agent; 7: Brief History of Biological Weapons; 8: Motivations for Proliferation; 9: Biological warfare (BW) agent detection; 10: Biological warfare (BW) and terrorism; 11: Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention of 1972

O autorze

Partially funded by the Ploughshares Fund, this primer reviews the history of CBW, describes defenses against currently known biological and chemical agents, considers the incentives and disincentives facing nations that either develop CBW armaments or tolerate their development, and reflects on the prospects for control and disarmament.