ABSTRACT
CONTEXT OF THE THREAT As noted earlier, terrorism is not a new phenomenon; it is instead a pattern of behavior with deep roots in the history of most modern nation-states and peoples. Nor are all weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) new; biological and even chemical agents have been used in conflicts for centuries. But most analysts of contemporary terrorism assumed, until recently, that the costsfinancial and political-were too high for modern terrorists to seriously attempt the use of such weapons today.
