Bioterror in the 21st Century: Emerging Threats in a New Global Environment

Daniel Gerstein draws on twenty-nine years of experience in the security and defence sectors to address the threat of bioterrorism in the twenty-first century. He warns that while the proliferation of knowledge and capabilities in the field of biotechnology offers ever-increasing opportunities for scientific breakthroughs, the potential for the misuse of that knowledge also increases. Gerstein takes a classic game theory approach in his analysis of the potential for a bioterror attack in the future. His examination provides an objective capability for assessing threats, understanding emerging trends and developing mitigation strategies. However, in the end the book is less about predicting future behaviour than about understanding the framework in which dangerous capabilities are allowed to proliferate. The study also makes a valuable contribution to the debate over perceived threats and vulnerabilities in this new global environment. About the Author Daniel M. Gerstein is a retired US Army colonel with a PhD in biodefense. He has served worldwide with organizations involved in homeland security, combat, peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance operations.

About the Author :
Daniel M. Gerstein is strategist and policy expert with a PhD in Biodefence. He has served in the security and defence fields in a variety of strategic and operational assignments dealing with national strategy, arms control, international negotiations, and conflict analysis. A resident of Alexandria, VA, he is the author of Securing America's Future, Leading at the Speed of Light, and Assignment Pentagon.

Review :
Dan Gerstein has carefully and realistically set out the dangers of a terrorist biological attack in the 21st century. The threat is evolving, and the determination and motivations of modern terrorists makes such an attack more possible than ever. It is urgent that the United States and its citizens prepare and be emotionally prepared for such a catastrophe so that our certain reaction inflicts punishment on our enemies, and not on the liberties of all Americans. Dan Gerstein adds to the body of knowledge we need in this time of technological possibility and violent danger." -- James S. Gilmore III, Chairman, Gilmore Commission on Homeland Security, 1999-2003 "Dan Gerstein presents a thoughtful and balanced review of the terrorist threat and the potential of biotechnology to give terrorists a novel weapon. He reviews actions that the U.S. government has taken since 2001 and offers a sound process by which to develop and prioritize the necessary actions required to protect U.S. citizens from this threat. This book is a must read" for any serious homeland security policy analyst." -- Al Mauroni, author of Where are the WMDs? The Reality of Chem-Bio Threats on the Homefront and the Battlefield "Daniel Gerstein has done the country a great service. In one all-inclusive volume he has addressed the most dangerous threat this nation faces. As Dr. Gerstein so clearly demonstrates, modern technology is rapidly putting the capability to create even the most deadly pathogens within the grasps of civilization's sworn enemies. For anyone interested in understanding the magnitude of the bioterror threat and what we can and must do the avert it, then this book is their first stop. If this country is to have any hope of averting a calamity that could rival the Black Plague in scope and lethality then it must heed the warnings so dramatically laid bare in this book." -- Jim Lacey, editor of The Canons of Jihad: Terrorists' Strategy for Defeating America "This comprehensive analysis of bioterrorism could not be more timely. The book opens with the impact of globalization on the spread of infectious disease and the world witnesses the swine flu pandemic; it discusses medical problems as President Obama and the Congress struggle with health reform. Let us hope relevant political decision-makers and the medical community will read this important book." -- C.L. Gilbert MD, Professor of Medicine, George Washington University