ABSTRACT
Proliferation is the lateral spread of certain weapon systems from a place where they are available to another place where they have yet to be introduced. A major development in the proliferation debate since the end of the Cold War is the acquisition of chemical and biological weapons (CBWs) by terrorist and criminal organizations. This chapter investigates the various factors that induce a country to seek chemical or biological weapons, the domestic processes involved. It explains how proliferation processes may be understood despite lack of insight into the decision-making practices of some countries. From the demand-side perspective, the CBW armament dynamics in an industrialized society do not differ fundamentally from those in a developing country. The movement of chemical and biological warfare from the fringe towards the centre of mainstream military doctrine as part of the assimilation process will depend on how the political entity perceives and addresses its security deficit.
