1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910778017803321

Autore

Purkitt Helen E. <1950->

Titolo

South Africa's weapons of mass destruction [[electronic resource] /] / Helen E. Purkitt and Stephen F. Burgess

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Bloomington, IN, : Indiana University Press, c2005

ISBN

0-253-00306-7

9786612238253

1-282-23825-6

Descrizione fisica

vii, 322 p

Altri autori (Persone)

BurgessStephen Franklin

Disciplina

358/.3/0968

Soggetti

Weapons of mass destruction - South Africa

South Africa Military policy

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [293]-312) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Contents -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction: The Ongoing Problem of South Africa’s Unconventional Weapons -- 2. South Africa in a World of Proliferating Weapons -- 3. Origins and Evolution of Nuclear-Weapons Research and Development -- 4. Warheads, Missiles, and Nuclear-Deterrence Strategy -- 5. Project Coast and Its Origins -- 6. Dismantling the Nuclear-Weapons Program -- 7. The Rollback of Project Coast -- 8. Disarmament Trendsetter -- 9. Emerging Issues and Residual Concerns -- Appendix: Policy Lessons from the South African Case -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- What can I do?.

Sommario/riassunto

South Africa's Weapons of Mass Destruction offers an in-depth view of the secret development and voluntary disarmament of South Africa's nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons program, Project Coast. Helen E. Purkitt and Stephen F. Burgess explore how systems used for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in South Africa were acquired and established beyond the gaze of international and domestic political actors. On the basis of archival evidence from Project Coast and their own extensive interviews with military and political officials, Purkitt and Burgess consider what motivates countries to acquire and build such powerful weaponry and examine when and how decisions are made to dismantle a military arsenal voluntarily.



Questions such as how to destroy weapons safely and keep them from reappearing on international markets are considered along with comparative strategies for successful disarmament in other nation-states.