Weapons of mass destruction and terrorism : proliferation and the non-state actor
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Authors
Campbell, James K.
Subjects
Advisors
Arquilla, John
Date of Issue
1996-12
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
Language
en_US
Abstract
Executive Order No. 1298 signed by President Clinton on November 14, 1994 declared a national emergency with resect to the unusual and extraordinary threat that proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (those weapons categorized as nuclear, chemical or biological) poses to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. In the wake of the Cold War, a new world disorder seen's to be emerging wherein the legitimacy of many states is being challenged from within by increasing non-state calls for self determination from the likes of religious cults, hate groups, isolationist movements, ethnic groups, and revivalist movements. These movements often prey on the insecurities of the population, offering to fill psychological, social, political, or religious security needs of those who would join them. Religious oriented groups appear to share a common ideology which rejects existing social, economic, and political structure demanding a drastic revision of the world - a world where they become the authoritarian, dominant influence. These are the Post-Modern Terrorists who possess a ripeness to threaten use of weapons of mass destruction. This study presents an argument suggesting that terrorist groups operating under the veneer of religion are truly the most likely candidates to threaten use of mass destruction in a mass casualty causing terrorist act.
Type
Description
National Security Affairs
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NPS Report Number
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Format
xx, 333 p.
Citation
Distribution Statement
Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.