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Bioterrorism: Confronting a Complex Threat

Andreas Wenger and Reto Wollenmann, editors
Bioterrorism: Confronting a Complex Threat
ISBN: 978-1-58826-525-8
$57.00
2007/241 pages/LC: 2006033578
"A well-balanced assessment of the core issues surrounding the bioterrorism debate.... The volume is an insightful read for both researchers and policymakers alike." —Sonja Kittelsen, Journal of Peace Research

"Bioterrorism should appeal to a wide range of academics and practitioners around the worldand it should be required reading in the Executive and Legislative branches of the US government."—Dean A. Wilkening, Stanford University

DESCRIPTION

Especially since the anthrax attacks of 2001, the issue of bioterrorism has been controversial: Are governments underestimating the potential hazard of biological toxins, as some claim, or is the danger in fact exaggerated? What are the policy options for dealing with such a complex threat? The authors of this book offer a reasoned assessment of the issues at the core of the debates.

Identifying a high level of uncertainty as a key characteristic of the bioterrorism threat, the authors examine the legacies of the secret state biowarfare programs of the previous century, analyze academic and political controversies about current dangers, and consider the impact of rapid scientific and technological change on the development of future threats. In the process, they provide new insight into the broader question of risk management and the role of public and private actors in international security relations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andreas Wenger is professor of international security policy and director of the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). Reto Wollenmann is policy adviser on arms control and disarmament in the Directorate for Security Policy of the Swiss Federal Department of Defense.

CONTENTS

  • Foreword—R. Danzig.
  • Bioterrorism: A Complex Threat—the Editors.
  • UNDERSTANDING THE THREAT: ACTORS AND CAPABILITIES.
  • The Legacy of Secret State Programs—J. Guillemin.
  • Evolution of the Current Threat—M. Leitenberg.
  • The Impact of Scientific and Technological Change—M. Dando.
  • ASSESSING THE THREAT: DIFFERING PERCEPTIONS.
  • Knowledge Gaps and Threat Assessments—P.R. Lavoy.
  • Why Do Conclusions From the Experts Vary?—M.I. Chevrier.
  • MANAGING THE THREAT: POLICY OPTIONS.
  • When to Cry Wolf, What to Cry, and How to Cry It—A.H. Cordesman.
  • More Transparency for a Secure Biodefense—I. Hunger.
  • CONCLUSION.
  • Securing Society Against the Risk of Bioterrorism—A. Wenger.
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