Part of the Global Issues series, Weapons of Mass Destruction is designed to be a first-stop resource for research on a key challenge facing the world today. Each volume in the series contains three sections, beginning with an introduction that clearly defines the issue, followed by detailed case studies of the issue's affect in the United States and several other countries or regions. The second section draws together significant U.S. and international primary source documents, and the third section gathers useful research tools, such as brief biographies, facts and figures, an annotated bibliography, and more. A foreword written by an expert in the field complements each volume. A chronology, glossary, and index provide additional help.
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are the most advanced and lethal armaments developed by contemporary scientists and engineers. They are not designed for combat limited to the battlefield; their purpose is to unleash a sweeping destructive force that does not discriminate between soldier and civilian. Although most governments adhere to strict international treaties regarding the management of their stocks of such weapons, rogue regimes and terrorist groups remain an unpredictable and volatile variable.
Weapons of Mass Destruction provides an objective analysis of a subject easily distorted by fear. It begins with a history of the ancient and medieval use in warfare of biological weapons and goes on to explain how governments and terrorist factions have refined this practice to include biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons as a means of coercion or as a deterrent. The book examines past and current U.S. policies regarding WMD-including the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II-and how an arms race ultimately led to a cold war with the Soviet Union. The volume then offers an international perspective through discussion of how other major players-Russia, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea-have each chosen to approach the issue of WMD.
Part of the Global Issues series, Weapons of Mass Destruction is designed to be a first-stop resource for research on a key challenge facing the world today. Each volume in the series contains three sections, beginning with an introduction that clearly defines the issue, followed by detailed case studies of the issue's affect in the United States and several other countries or regions. The second section draws together significant U.S. and international primary source documents, and the third section gathers useful research tools, such as brief biographies, facts and figures, an annotated bibliography, and more. A foreword written by an expert in the field complements each volume. A chronology, glossary, and index provide additional help.
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are the most advanced and lethal armaments developed by contemporary scientists and engineers. They are not designed for combat limited to the battlefield; their purpose is to unleash a sweeping destructive force that does not discriminate between soldier and civilian. Although most governments adhere to strict international treaties regarding the management of their stocks of such weapons, rogue regimes and terrorist groups remain an unpredictable and volatile variable.
Weapons of Mass Destruction provides an objective analysis of a subject easily distorted by fear. It begins with a history of the ancient and medieval use in warfare of biological weapons and goes on to explain how governments and terrorist factions have refined this practice to include biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons as a means of coercion or as a deterrent. The book examines past and current U.S. policies regarding WMD-including the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan during World War II-and how an arms race ultimately led to a cold war with the Soviet Union. The volume then offers an international perspective through discussion of how other major players-Russia, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea-have each chosen to approach the issue of WMD.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
384
Weapons of Mass Destruction
384
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780816078271 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Facts on File, Incorporated |
| Publication date: | 02/01/2010 |
| Series: | Facts on File Global Issues Series |
| Edition description: | New Edition |
| Pages: | 384 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.20(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.20(d) |
| Age Range: | 14 - 17 Years |