Book contents
- Understanding International Security
- Reviews
- Understanding International Security
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Brief Contents
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 International Security: The Historical Evolution of a Discipline
- Part I Security in Theory
- Part II The Traditional Security Agenda
- 9 Conventional War and Warfare
- 10 Irregular War and Warfare
- 11 Security and International Law
- 12 The Architectures of Alignment: Alliances, Security Institutions, Coalitions, and Strategic Partnerships
- 13 Weapons of Mass Destruction: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical
- 14 Political Violence and Terrorism
- Part III A Wider and Deeper Security Agenda
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
13 - Weapons of Mass Destruction: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical
from Part II - The Traditional Security Agenda
Published online by Cambridge University Press: aN Invalid Date NaN
Book contents
- Understanding International Security
- Reviews
- Understanding International Security
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Brief Contents
- Contents
- Preface
- 1 International Security: The Historical Evolution of a Discipline
- Part I Security in Theory
- Part II The Traditional Security Agenda
- 9 Conventional War and Warfare
- 10 Irregular War and Warfare
- 11 Security and International Law
- 12 The Architectures of Alignment: Alliances, Security Institutions, Coalitions, and Strategic Partnerships
- 13 Weapons of Mass Destruction: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical
- 14 Political Violence and Terrorism
- Part III A Wider and Deeper Security Agenda
- Glossary
- References
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter dissects the challenges posed by weapons of mass destruction. It starts by exploring the weapon that changed the fundamentals of security and warfare – the atomic bomb with a brief look at how nuclear weapons work. Then it examines three cases focused on nuclear weapons: nuclear weapons in the Cold War, nuclear-weapon states in the twenty-first century, and non-state actors and the nuclear dilemma. The chapter rounds out with a look at the role chemical and biological weapons play in the contemporary world, offering some concluding thoughts on weapons of mass destruction and contemporary international security.
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- Information
- Understanding International SecurityTheory and Practice, pp. 259 - 279Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Primary Sources
Jefferson, Catherine (2014) “Origins of the norm against chemical weapons,” International Affairs, 90 (3), pp. 647–661.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tannewald, Nina (2005) “Stigmatizing the bomb: Origins of the nuclear taboo,” International Security, 29 (4), pp. 5–49.Google Scholar
Santhana Dass, R. A. (2021) “Jihadists’ use and pursuit of weapons of mass destruction: A comparative study of Al-Qaeda and Islamic State’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons programs,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 47 (5), pp. 548–582.Google Scholar
Secondary Sources
Brown, Michael E., Coté, Owen R. Jr., Lynn-Jones, Sean M., Miller, Steven E. (eds.) (2010) Going nuclear: Nuclear proliferation and security in the 21st century. MIT Press.Google Scholar
Guillemin, Jeanne (2006) Biological weapons: From the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism. Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Solingen, Etel (2007) Nuclear logics: Contrasting paths in Asia and the Middle East. Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
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