Instead of concentrating on the prevention of the spread of weapons of mass destruction, these studies concentrate on preventing their use. A common argument runs through all of the papers: that, while complacency must be avoided, much of the post-Cold War focus among Western governments on the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is alarmist. Beyond this shared ground, the contributors are diverse in their approaches and in many of their conclusions. The first three provide critiques of Western policy as in some ways having the unintended effect of increasing rather than reducing the...

Instead of concentrating on the prevention of the spread of weapons of mass destruction, these studies concentrate on preventing their use. A common argument runs through all of the papers: that, while complacency must be avoided, much of the post-Cold War focus among Western governments on the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction is alarmist. Beyond this shared ground, the contributors are diverse in their approaches and in many of their conclusions. The first three provide critiques of Western policy as in some ways having the unintended effect of increasing rather than reducing the...