Eleventh Plague

At a time when the reach of terrorism threatens more countries than ever, this provocative analysis of the debate on the future of chemical and biological weapons delivers a strong wake-up call. Cole (Elements of Risk, etc.), an adjunct professor of political science at Rutgers University, begins by surveying the U.S. Army's testing of these weapons in the 1950s and '60s on unsuspecting civilian populations, including aerial spraying over cities such as Minneapolis and St. Louis. He then covers issues relating to the Middle East, especially the worldwide failure to condemn Iraq's use of chemical weapons during its long war with Iran--a failure, Cole avers, that encouraged Saddam Hussein to continue his aggressive moves. Finally, Cole looks at what he calls ""new challenges,"" such as the 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo, the problems inherent in verifying compliance with various treaties and the erosion of moral outrage over continued development of these weapons. He also examines the problem of how to defend against chemical and biological weapons, citing Israel's fears during the Iraqi attacks in 1991 and exploring what he sees as America's unpreparedness for attacks by these weapons. Cole ultimately finds that ""the compromise of moral principles has led to a greater insecurity""--a message that may be painful to hear, but that, thanks to his closely reasoned and ethically astute work, has now been stated loud and clear. Author tour. (Nov.)