Weapons of mass destruction : the no-nonsense guide to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons today / Robert Hutchinson.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [276]-283).

Dr. Strangelove lives! -- Thunder from the sky -- Dawn of deterrence -- Terrible mushroom cloud -- Delivering the hand of God -- Missile proliferation -- Last ditch defence -- Awakening from the nuclear nightmare -- Man's inhumanity to man-Chemical weapons -- Unlocking Pandora's Box-Biological warfare.

While the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament continues to pressure western governments into abandoning their nuclear weapons, 'rogue states' and terrorist movements make every effort to acquire them. And if they cannot lay their hands on nuclear devices then many are prepared to use chemical or biological weapons instead. But just what are these weapons? And how seriously should we take the threat of their use? Robert Hutchinson's investigation into the bizarre and horrifying world of 'NBC' (nuclear, biological and chemical) warfare reveals a terrifying consensus among western intelligence agencies. For many analysts it is a question of 'when', not 'if' we will witness the first use of an atomic bomb since Hiroshima. Many believe it will be within the next ten years. The disintegration of the Soviet Union has left a vast arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons scattered across Eastern Europe and Asia. These run-down bases, with poorly paid security personnel, are an open invitation to terrorists or the agents of any state with the money and determination to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Robert Hutchinson cuts through the military jargon to explain who is armed with what -- and how these weapons function. From the ricin found recently in London to the nerve agent sarin (used by Japanese terrorists in their attack on the Tokyo underground) to Saddam Hussein's fearsome arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, as well as the nuclear options, he reveals the awesome variety of weapons of mass destruction that are primed and ready today.