Common Sense On Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Book Description
In our post-9/11 world of shoe bombers and cyberterrorism, a crude nuclear device no larger than a baseball could devastate a major city. As we live in fear of attacks of unknown proportion, why do people remain confused and complacent in the face of potential disaster? Ambassador Thomas Graham Jr. believes that a tide of misinformation has led to the public’s lack of understanding of the vital issues. Here, in a straightforward and comprehensible style, Graham concisely provides the background necessary to understand the news and opinions surrounding WMDs. Common Sense on Weapons of Mass Destruction presents accessible, up-to-date facts on: nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism chemical and biological weapons land mines and small arms missile defense and WMDs in outer space WMDs in the Middle East and Asia

About the Author
Thomas Graham Jr. served for several decades as general counsel and acting director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. He was President Clinton's special ambassador for nuclear disarmament issues, and his work culminated in the agreement to indefinitely extend the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Graham is special counsel at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in Washington, DC, and teaches classes in international law and arms control.


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Ambassador Graham gets past the political buzzwords to define what he believes to be the real issues of WMDs. These include the lack of basic information about what WMDs are and can do and how US policies influence their creation, stockpiling and use. He asserts that the US needs to re-assume leadership of efforts to reduce or eliminate WMD stockpiles and opportunities for use. He also believes recent US policies undermine international treaties that have, so far, kept down distribution of WMDs. He notes in particular the lack of support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by the US, and how failure of the NPT will turn the lack of control of Russian nuclear material into a major disaster. Graham also believes not enough is being done to reduce the risks of WMD use or sale by volatile states such as Syria, Egypt, Iran, Israel, India, Pakistan and Libya, and that North Korea's nuclear weapons and programs are particularly dangerous. He contrasts the actions of these so-called "rogue states" with the assertions of the US, Britain, France, and Russia that they have the right to use nuclear weapons regardless of their signing the NPT. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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