Often described as the misuse of science, chemical and biological weapons have incurred widespread opposition over the years. Despite condemnation from the United Nations, governments and the disarmament lobby, they remain very real options for rogue states and terrorists. This much-needed history is now available in paperback, and has been expanded and updated with two new chapters on political poisoning and chemical weapons in the Middle East. In Agents of War Edward M. Spiers breaks new ground by presenting his analysis in both historical and contemporary contexts, giving a comprehensive chronological account of why, where and when such weapons were used or suspected to be deployed.
Edward M. Spiers is Emeritus Professor at the University of Leeds. He is the author of nineteen books, including Chemical Warfare (1985) and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Prospects for Proliferation (2000).
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
1 The Legacy of Gas Warfare in the First World War
2 Deterrence and Disarmament: Responses to Chemical
and Biological Warfare, 1919–93
3 Chemical Warfare in Third World Conflicts
4 The Proliferation of Chemical and Biological Weapons
5 Iraq's Chemical and Biological Warfare Programmes
6 Chemical and Biological Terrorism
7 The Recurrence of Chemical Warfare in the Middle East
8 Political Assassination by Poisoning
Conclusion: The Evolving Nature of Chemical and Biological Warfare
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Index