Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Future of International Nonproliferation Policy(Studies in Security and International Affairs)

The spread of weapons of mass destruction poses one of the greatest threats to international peace and security in modern times—the specter of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons looms over relations among many countries. The September 11 tragedy and other terrorist attacks have been painful warnings about gaps in nonproliferation policies and regimes, specifically with regard to nonstate actors. In this volume, experts in nonproliferation studies examine challenges faced by the international community and propose directions for national and international policy making and lawmaking. The first group of essays outlines the primary threats posed by WMD proliferation and terrorism. Essays in the second section analyze existing treaties and other normative regimes, including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Chemical Weapons and Biological Weapons Conventions, and recommend ways to address the challenges to their effectiveness. Essays in part three examine the shift some states have made away from nonproliferation treaties and regimes toward more forceful and proactive policies of counterproliferation, such as the Proliferation Security Initiative, which coordinates efforts to search and seize suspect shipments of WMD-related materials.

About the Author :
Nathan E. Busch (Editor) NATHAN E. BUSCH is an associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University and author of No End in Sight: The Continuing Menace of Nuclear Proliferation. Daniel H. Joyner (Editor) DANIEL H. JOYNER is an associate professor at the University of Alabama Law School and editor of Non-proliferation Export Controls: Origins, Challenges, and Proposals for Strengthening.

Review :
Written by an impressive group of leading scholars, with some new voices in the field added in, the chapters are uniformly strong in presenting balanced and detailed analysis of the critical problems emerging in nonproliferation policy. Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction is a significant contribution to the field of security studies. Extremely well researched, the chapters are replete with concrete real-world cases and illustrations of the problems and risks. The authors—well-known experts in the field of weapons proliferation—avoid endorsing a moralistic standard of analysis . . . and they recognize that some tough choices have to be made. An important value of the collection is that it brings the reader up to the moment in terms of the current flow of developments, both positive and negative. Busch and Joyner have assembled a first-rate group of scholars well qualified to illuminate the critically important issues of combating weapons of mass destruction. The results speak for themselves in a highly positive way. Individual chapters resonate with their own authority and insights while contributing to the overall themes of the book. This volume will be highly respected by experts but its clear and concise style also makes it accessible to the general public. It fully deserves close attention by both groups.