ABSTRACT
The terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) has been a concern throughout the modern era of terrorism, which is usually regarded as beginning in 1968.1 This chapter will assess the literature dealing with terrorism and WMD from that period, will analyse past trends within this subject, identify some of the key issues, and suggest some future directions within the field. For the purposes of this study, WMD will be assumed to mean only chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons (CBRN).2 Massive conventional weapons, although obviously capable of mass destruction, will not be considered here because space precludes such a broad discussion. For the same reason, this article will not examine the literature on responses to terrorism with WMD, as this is in itself an increasingly vast and complex subject.
