Countering the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (Contemporary Security Studies)

As counter-profileration is expected to become the central element in the new national security policy of the US, such actions will constitute a central element of every major international conflict in the first decades of the 21st century. One of the most important geostrategic phenomena of the past decade has been the extraordinary diffusion of war-making capabilities from the developed North to the developing South. In the eyes of some proliferant states, possessing nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons would not only add to their regional stature, but would also offer an asymmetrical counter to the West’s massive superiority in conventional forces.

In the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, a number of countries are assumed to possess varying levels of NBC-weapons capabilities. Reasons for concern include the fact that such weapons have been used in the past; the region’s geographic proximity to Europe and the vital interests of the West (which is prepared, under certain circumstances, to use force to protect them); the multiplicity of conflicts and other security problems; and the general instability in the region (including the spread of religious extremism).

This important and timely book assesses, in detail, the accuracy of predictions, and perceptions, about a possible military threat from the Southern Mediterranean (Muslim) world; and their impact on NATO’s political and military posture. Thanos P. Doxos presents an assessment of the Alliance’s options for dealing with the problem. This book represents an invaluable, topical resource for researchers and policy makers.

Thanos P. Dokos is the Director-General at the Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) in Greece. He has held research posts at the Hessische Stiftung Friedens und Konfliktforschung in Frankfurt and the Center for Science and International Affairs (CSIA) at Harvard University. He served as the Director for Research of the Strategic Studies Division at the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence and as an Advisor on NATO issues to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Athens (Department of Turkish and Modern Asia Studies) and Lecturer at the Hellenic National Defense College and the Hellenic National Security School, he is the author of Arms Control and Security in the Middle East and the CIS Republics; and editor of the forthcoming Security Sector Reform in Southeastern Europe.