Changing Face of Terrorism - How Real is the Threat from Biological, Chemical and Nuclear Weapons?

Terrorism involving Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) weapons and the 'war on terror' are major features of international relations. Terrorist violence has become increasingly lethal since the 1970s, with an increasing number of plots and attacks involving CBRN weapons, such as sarin, cyanide and ricin. For decades, many terrorism analysts assumed that the first act of mass destruction terrorism would involve CBRN weapons. Yet the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11 did not. Despite this, counter-terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11 placed a significant emphasis on CBRN weapons._x000D__x000D_In this book, Benjamin Cole evaluates the continuing threat since 9/11. He points out that while the mass destruction of 9/11 has not been repeated, there have been further incidents involving CBRN weapons. Whilst technological constraints mean that it is extremely difficult for terrorist groups to develop CBRN weapons capable of causing mass casualties, the key issue for policy makers is how soon terrorist groups might be able to master the relevant technology. He also demonstrates that whilst there can be powerful motivations for some terrorist groups to use CBRN weapons, there can also potentially be equally powerful disincentives to using them. Whilst al-Qaeda and other 'Islamist' groups are uppermost in the minds of Western governments, the spectrum of groups that might engage in CBRN terrorism is far wider and includes 'traditional' left-wing groups, ethno-nationalist separatist movements and extreme right-wing Christian groups._x000D__x000D_The Changing Face of Terrorism argues that further terror attacks involving CBRN weapons are inevitable and the 'war on terror' will remain a continuing feature in international politics. But it also shows that not all terrorist groups will necessarily seek to acquire CBRN weapons and that counter-terrorism measures can be effective in preventing some future attacks and constraining the types of CBRN weapons that terrorist groups are able to develop and how they might try to use them.