ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the changing relationship between nuclear weapons and non-state actors from the end of the Second World War to the end of the first decade of the 21st century. It describes an assessment of the threat of nuclear weapons being used by terrorist groups in the future. Terrorists groups' adoption of the hyper-terrorism strategy does not, of course, necessarily mean that this will inevitably lead them down the route to nuclear terrorism. With the notable exception of the Tamil Tigers, the secular terrorist groups of the Cold War period did not make use of the suicide-bombing tactic. Unlike the disarmament organizations, which consisted of peace activists, people committed to the use of extreme violence lead terrorist groups. The chapter looks at key indicators of terrorists planning to engage in nuclear or radiological terrorism. If the problem of preventing nuclear and radiological terrorism is to be tackled seriously, the key prerequisite is to recognize that the threat is real.