ABSTRACT
New adversaries with new motivations and new rationales have appeared in recent years to challenge some of the most basic assumptions about terrorists and terrorism. In the past, most analyses of the possibility of mass indiscriminate killing involve chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) terrorism weapons. Few terrorists argue that they know everything about the technical intricacies of either developing or dispersing weapons. Some argues that it may be for terrorists to culture anthrax spores or brew up a concoction of deadly nerve gas, the effective dissemination or dispersal of these viruses and poisons presents serious technological hurdles that greatly inhibit their effective use. This chapter focuses on the entire CBRN terrorism issue. Most striking aspects of the current debate over the terrorism and counterterrorist policy are how the intellectual chasm separating the academic and policymaking communities over this issue has grown.
