On Nuclear Terrorism

Nuclear terrorism is such a disturbing prospect that we shy away from its details. Yet as a consequence, we fail to understand how best to defeat it. Michael Levi takes us inside nuclear terrorism and behind the decisions a terrorist leader would be faced with in pursuing a nuclear plot. Along the way, Levi identifies the many obstacles, large and small, that such a terrorist scheme might encounter, allowing him to discover a host of ways that any plan might be foiled. Surveying the broad universe of plots and defenses, this accessible account shows how a wide-ranging defense that integrates the tools of weapon and materials security, law enforcement, intelligence, border controls, diplomacy, and the military can multiply, intensify, and compound the possibility that nuclear terrorists will fail. Levi draws from our long experience with terrorism and cautions us not to focus solely on the most harrowing yet most improbable threats. Nuclear terrorism shares much in common with other terrorist threats--and as a result, he argues, defeating it is impossible unless we put our entire counterterrorism and homeland security house in order. As long as we live in a nuclear age, no defense can completely eliminate nuclear terrorism. But this book reminds us that the right strategy can minimize the risks and shows us how to do it.

Table of Contents:
Preface List of Abbreviations Prologue 1. Principles for Defense 2. Security at the Source 3. Building Blocks 4. The Beginnings of a True System 5. Warning 6. A Wider Universe of Nuclear Plots and Defenses 7. The Way Forward Appendix: Radiation Detection and Weapons Effects Calculations Glossary Notes Acknowledgments Index

About the Author :
Michael Levi is David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment at the Council on Foreign Relations, New York.

Review :
The prevention of nuclear terrorism cannot be guaranteed, and so it is essential to prepare for the gruesome consequences of such an attack. Effective consequence management will require participation of an informed public, and for that reason alone, On Nuclear Terrorism should have the widest possible readership. -- Paul Cornish Times Higher Education Supplement 20071221 We wish...that the current and incoming national security advisor and secretaries of State, Defense and Homeland Security [would] read Michael Levi's On Nuclear Terrorism and make it a top priority to ensure that everything that can be done to foil a nuclear attack by terrorists is being done. Los Angeles Times 20080101 Anyone who reads [Levi's] work cannot but be impressed by his deep understanding of nuclear terrorism and the possibilities of dealing with it...It is one of Levi's strong points that, from beginning to end, he does not engage in any kind of mystery-solving or moralizing. What he does provide is a step-by-step account of the many possibilities of using nuclear bombs and materials for terrorist ends and of at least some of the things that can be done to prevent those possibilities from being realized...For anyone with a serious interest in the possibilities of nuclear terrorism and how to prevent it, On Nuclear Terrorism is a must. -- Martin van Creveld Nature 20080410 An excellent and challenging book on the problem of nuclear terrorism that is being read and debated in all corners of the WMD community...This book is a must read for anyone involved in the problem of protecting our nation from nuclear terrorism. -- R. E. Henstrand Joint Force Quarterly 20080901 Levi offers a system of thought on how to deal with the threat of nuclear terrorism that is probably the most complete and thoughtful published to date. In grasping a vast and complex topic and making sense of it in the light of a lucid and comprehensible framework, On Nuclear Terrorism is a paramount contribution to the effort to understand and minimize the threat of nuclear terrorism. -- Simen A. Ellingsen Nonproliferation Review 20080601 An excellent and challenging book on the problem of nuclear terrorism that is being read and debated in all corners of the WMD community...This book is a must read for anyone involved in the problem of protecting our nation from nuclear terrorism. -- R. E. Henstrand Joint Force Quarterly 20080901 Levi offers a system of thought on how to deal with the threat of nuclear terrorism that is probably the most complete and thoughtful published to date. In grasping a vast and complex topic and making sense of it in the light of a lucid and comprehensible framework, On Nuclear Terrorism is a paramount contribution to the effort to understand and minimize the threat of nuclear terrorism. -- Simen A. Ellingsen Nonproliferation Review 20080601