Phantom Menace or Looming Danger?

A New Framework for Assessing Bioweapons Threats

AvKathleen M. Vogel

Inbunden, Engelska, 2013

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Beskrivning

The horrifying terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the anthrax strikes that soon followed gave the United States new reason to fear unconventional enemies and atypical weapons. These fears have prompted extensive research, study, and planning within the U.S. military, intelligence, and policy communities regarding potential attacks involving biological weapons. In "Phantom Menace or Looming Danger?" Kathleen M. Vogel argues for a major shift in how analysts assess bioweapons threats. She calls for an increased focus on the social and political context in which technological threats are developed. Vogel uses case studies to illustrate her theory: Soviet anthrax weapons development, the Iraqi mobile bioweapons labs, and two synthetic genomic experiments. She concludes with recommendations for analysts and policymakers to integrate sociopolitical analysis with data analysis, thereby making U.S. bioweapon assessments more accurate. Students of security policy will find her innovative framework appealing, her writing style accessible, and the many illustrations helpful. These features also make "Phantom Menace or Looming Danger?" a must-read for government policymakers and intelligence experts.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2013-02-09
Mått:152 x 229 x 30 mm
Vikt:635 g
Format:Inbunden
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:384
Förlag:Johns Hopkins University Press
ISBN:9781421407425

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Mer om författaren

Kathleen M. Vogel is an associate professor in the department of science and technology studies and at the Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Cornell University.

Recensioner i media

Phantom Menace or Looming Danger? A New Framework for Assessing Bioweapons Threats should be in any political science and military collection and provides a powerful argument for a major shift in how bioweapons threats are assessed. Midwest Book Review This is an engrossing book that exemplifies what STS can bring to broader issues of policymaking in the US and potentially beyond, and it is well worth reading. -- Carla Nappi New Books in Science, Technology, and Society Kathleen Vogel has authored one of the most important books written about biological weapons in recent years... Vogel tackles head-on the conventional wisdom regarding the biological weapon (BW) threat, successfully, challenging assumptions that have gone largely unexamined by the broader biodefense community... She also uncovers some deeper organizational and social forces that have shaped US intelligence and threat assessments since the end of international security, not just those with an interest in biodefense or intelligence. This, this book is a must-read for scholars and practitioners in the field of international security, not just those with an interest in biodefense or intelligence. -- Gregory D. Koblentz Nonproliferation Review

Innehållsförteckning

AcknowledgmentsPart I: The Bioweapons Threat and Assessment Problem1. Bioweapons and National Security2. Technological Frames and Narratives in U.S. Bioweapons Assessments and PolicymakingPart II: Science in a Social ContextOverview: The Biosocial Frame3. Synthetic Genomic, the Biotech Revolution, and Bioterrorism4. Societ Bioweapons Know-How and Proliferation ThreatsPart III: Analytic Failures in Bioweapons AssessmentsOverview: "Curveball" and the Iraqi Mobile Bioweapons Threat5. Expertise and Analytic Practice6. Current Intelligence Reporting and CIA Analytic Practice7. Secrecy and the Production of the Iraqi Mobile Bioweapons ThreatPart IV: Alternative Analytic Solutions8. A New Knowledge Model for Bioweapons Intelligence AssessmentsConclusionNotesBibliographyIndex