Weapons of Mass Disruption?

In: SIPRI yearbook: armaments, disarmament and international security, p. 683-690

Abstract

Discusses the terrorist use of chemical & biological (CB) weapons in terms of their disruptive effects. The consequences of successful employment of CB agents are seen in their insidious impact, & the psychological trauma, economic repercussions, & crisis of confidence in political authorities can exceed any actual casualties from a terrorist strike involving toxic materials. Bioterrorism might be turned on economic targets, eg, anti-agricultural warfare, & may impact a country's gross domestic product of agriculture & other economic activities or, depending on the economic effects of a highly infectious outbreak, destabilize sociopolitical structures. Brief examples show how dissemination technology will determine the limits of any CB damage. Appropriate policy responses are addressed. J. Zendejas