NUCLEAR TERRORISM

Nuclear Terrorism



NUCLEAR TERRORISM

Introduction

The book “Nuclear Terrorism” is authored by Graham Allison, dean of Harvard's modern John F. Kennedy School, a former top Pentagon official, and a leading scholar of nuclear strategy and national security. In this book, Allison provides in simple and accessible language the “who, what, where, when and how” of nuclear terrorism - and explained thoroughly how we can prevent it.

In Today's world the terrorists have become enormously powerful and they have been proving their strengths time to time by successfully carrying out different terrorist attacks throughout the world. In recent times we have witnessed the major terrorist activities like the 9/11 New York world trade centre attacks, and 7/7 London bombings. These terrorist activities have made the world peace unstable and the scope of these terrorist activities has broadened as well. Now the relatively new phenomenon the “Nuclear Terrorism” has emerged and this has entitled the terrorists to achieve their evil intentions of mass destruction. (Richard, 1986)

Americans today are highly aware of these security threats and the vulnerability to biological attacks, chemical weapons and hijackings. But the scariest and the deadliest picture of it can be viewed as: a terrorist group exploding a nuclear bomb in an American city. To address this alarming situation Graham Allison, one of the leading nuclear expert and national security specialists in America has proposed that we must take it squarely to understand and take adequate actions. The more disturbing thing is that the mobility of the radioactive material to be used for nuclear terrorism activities is comparatively easy. Countries like Pakistan, Iran and North Korea who possesses nuclear weapons has multiplied the propensity of the nuclear terrorism as there is security concern about their nuclear sites. (Jones, 1985)

Summary

"A nuclear terrorist attack on America in the decade ahead is more likely than not," says Graham Allison in his latest work, "Nuclear Terrorism." In this modern era of nuclear technology, Graham Allison, has spotted the most dangerous looking security threat for the American's and to the world as well. He has an exceptional past record of serving his nation by helping American government to secure around 12,000 nuclear weapons from Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan in the first Clinton government. (Jay Davis, 2008)

Nuclear policy workers and experts may not find this book shocking but it will definitely enlighten the non-expert user. The news of weapons-grade fissile material being stolen from different Russian institutes is nothing new; more over dozens of Russian tactical nukes might be missing as well. D. Costello, 1986)

To make a nuclear weapon is not a difficult task as soon as the terrorists gets enough fissile material, estimated roughly a softball size of highly enriched uranium. In the year 1977 a Princeton undergraduate succeeded to design a bomb by using only publicly available documents. Allison argues that Al-Qaeda can achieve it as well by using internet and it can be smuggled to any country by a simple shipping container or drug ...