Large-scale Terrorist Attacks Research Articles

Is a use of force appropriate? Clashing memories of the Budennovsk hostage crisis (1995)

ABSTRACT The hostage-taking by Chechen combatants in the Russian town of Budennovsk (1995) marked a turning point in the first Chechnya War (1994–96) and has left deep marks on the consciousness of Russians and Chechens representatives and civil society. It is referred to in Russian accounts as the first large-scale terrorist attack by Chechen groups in Russia. Based on today’s memories of “Budennovsk”, collected from open source materials, this article deconstructs and contextualises the conflicting narratives of the key actors involved. The analysis of the memories reveals the clashing attitudes regarding the legitimacy or condemnation of the use of force, and evaluates their significance in the political context of contemporary Russia. In a next step, this should allow to draw conclusions about the conceptual connection between memory, narrative and conflict.

The expansion of the transnational counterterrorism order after 9/11

ABSTRACT The September 11 attacks and other large-scale terrorist attacks of that era catalyzed legal and policy responses by governments around the world that served to augment their respective counterterrorism capabilities and the international legal regimes relating to counterterrorism. The collective effect of international reaction to these terrorist attacks on the transnational legal order as it relates to counterterrorism was significant. This article illuminates the ways in which the specific part of the transnational legal order which governs cross-border counterterrorism – the transnational counterterrorism order – expanded and developed after September 11. To do so, this article explores the concept of normative orders and how they develop. This article then focuses on the transnational counterterrorism order and its thickening through the development of specialized institutions and new legal frameworks. This discussion offers insight into how international, domestic, and transnational criminal frameworks in the post-September 11 era have evolved to better facilitate sustained counterterrorism pressure on terrorist groups.

Типовые варианты создания группировки медицинских сил и средств при организации лечебно-эвакуационного обеспечения поражённых в результате террористического акта

The objectives of the study are: to analyze the experience of organizing medical assistance and medical evacuation of victims during terrorist acts committed with the use of conventional means of destruction; to determine standard options for creating a group of medical forces and means, their possible composition and the main tasks to be solved in the implementation of medical and evacuation support. Materials and research methods. Materials of the research: normative and methodical documents regulating the order of medical aid rendering and carrying out medical evacuation of wounded at acts of terrorism; reports of territorial disaster medicine centers on liquidation of medical and sanitary consequences of acts of terrorism classified as emergencies; data of expert evaluation maps on the research theme; scientific works and publications devoted to the organizationa of medical aid rendering and of carrying out medical evacuation. The following scientific methods were applied: content-analysis, expert estimation, logic and information modeling, analytical method. Research results and their analysis. The results of the study of the basic principles of creating a grouping of medical forces and means intended to provide medical assistance and evacuation of victims of terrorist acts with the use of conventional means of destruction are presented. Substantiated propositions on creation of standard variants of echelon grouping of medical forces and means at liquidation of medical and sanitary consequences of terrorist acts were made; composition of medical forces and means, included in each echelon of the grouping, and their main tasks were defined. The results of the research have shown that medical organizers and specialists of the Disaster Medicine Service of the Russian Ministry of Health experience difficulties when creating and determining the order of functioning of a group of medical forces and means involved in medical and evacuation support of injured, especially during large-scale terrorist attacks. It is conditioned by: insufficient knowledge of peculiarities of modern terrorist acts and of factors, influencing the organization of medical aid and medical evacuation; insufficient practical experience of medical specialists; shortcomings in generalization of experience of public health management bodies, medical organizations and formations, participating in liquidation of consequences of such emergency situations; imperfection of normative and methodical base.

MECHANISM OF ADMINISTRATION OF CONSEQUENCES OF EMERGENCIES IN UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF WORLD EXPERIENCE OF IRREVOCABLE SANITARY LOSSES

The variety of threats of dangerous events and emergencies and the diversity of tasks to combat their consequences, including health, require constant attention from the state to improve the system of civil protection. The main component of civil protection is medical protection, ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population, which includes the organization and implementation of a number of measures aimed at organizing the provision of affordable and adequate medical care. That is, first of all, the provision of assistance concerns persons who have received injuries and injuries as a result of the impact of emergency factors. In this regard, the organization and provision of medical care to victims requires constant attention and constant obtaining reliable information about the nature of emergencies for a comprehensive analysis of the situation in its cell, primarily to determine the size of sanitary losses, their size and structure. Is the basis for determining the need for medical forces and means to eliminate the health consequences of emergencies. The main research of domestic scientists, devoted to the elimination of health consequences of emergencies, focused on the organization of medical care to victims, bringing them adequate and timely care, creating conditions to reduce irreversible losses through optimal use of health care resources within a single medical space. There is no normative definition of irreversible sanitary losses in Ukraine; there is only a definition of victims of man-made or natural disasters as persons whose health has been damaged as a result of emergencies. At present, it can be argued that there is no normative document in the sphere of medical (biological) protection of Ukraine, which should regulate the procedures for identification, preservation of the dead bodies for further identification and burial in conditions of mass sanitary losses due to emergencies. Mostly the problem of administration of mass irreversible losses in sources of scientific information is considered in the context of liquidation of consequences of natural disasters (natural disasters). In English-language sources of scientific information, such events are most often described by the term «disaster». The only international document on the organization of the burial of the dead bodies of those killed in an emergency is the leadership of the World Health Organization, which provides recommendations for the organization of procedures for the identification and burial of victims of emergencies. In many disaster response plans initiated by health and government agencies, detailed organizational planning ends with confirmation that death has occurred and the dead bodies are «sent to the morgue». That is why the identification of the dead has been a problem for pathological services for many years, although only relatively recently have modern technological advances and basic management procedures been used for this purpose in the face of massive irreversible sanitary losses. The 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean was the world practice for the administration of irreversible sanitary losses in the conditions of emergency in the direction of standardization and creation of basic documents. Some experience has been gained in identifying the victims of Interpol during the investigation of the genocide in the former Yugoslavia and during the investigation of large-scale terrorist attacks in the last two decades. Proper and dignified treatment of victims of natural disasters is one of the three main pillars of the humanitarian response and a fundamental factor in identifying victims and helping families to know the fate of their loved ones. This is what the second and updated edition of the World Red Cross and Red Crescent Society's recommendation on the treatment of victims of emergencies for first responders contains practical and easy-to-use guidelines for identifying, identifying, documenting and storing the remains of the dead bodies due to natural disasters. These guidelines are designed to assist rapid response services in ensuring that victims are treated with respect and that information is collected and processed for further identification and burial. Taking into account the above, the author's definitions of the mechanism of administration of the consequences of emergencies in relation to mass irreversible sanitary losses, which is based on the best world practices, are given. Given the need to harmonize the current legislation of Ukraine in the field of civil protection with the European and the desire to join the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, it is advisable to introduce European protocols for identification of victims of emergencies and develop plans for responding to mass irreversible losses for algorithms of interaction with local authorities.

European Union and the fight against terrorism: a differentiated integration theory perspective

Although many EU member states experienced large scale terrorist attacks and both national and EU policymakers have repeatedly acknowledged the need to tackle the apparent contradiction between borderless terrorism and national counterterrorism measures, a genuine supranational EU counterterrorism response has not emerged thus far. In this article, we explore why this has been the case. Via a set of proxy indicators, we operationalize and test three key variables derived from differentiated integration theory, which suggests that the lack of horizontal and vertical integration in the EU’s counterterrorism policy ought to be the result of high and asymmetric politicization, asymmetrical interdependence, and little preference convergence across EU member states. Our findings indicate that although all of these variables did influence integration in the first fifteen years of EU counterterrorism policy (2001–2016), only one variable (interdependence) acted exactly as expected by differentiated integration theory.

Борьба с исламским терроризмом в Юго-Восточной Азии

The problem of terrorism is far from new for the countries of Southeast Asia. In the early 2000s, the legal and institutional framework was created for its solution. The use of predominantly hard methods allowed countries to succeed in defeating the terrorist underground. However, the situation sharply worsened with the advent of ISIS and the spread of its influence in the region, which leads to activation of its supporters. The methods of combating terrorism, tested for decades, were not enough to counter the growing threat. The ongoing changes in the social composition and structure of terrorism have required the adjustment of counter-terrorism policies – reinforcing its legal base and strengthening its humanitarian component. An analysis of successes and failures of this policy in relation to the four Southeast Asian countries facing the threat of Islamic terrorism (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines) is the subject of this study. The article notes that the need for preventive measures is dictated by the process of radicalization of part of the Muslim population falling under the ideological influence of ISIS. Radicalization, as the author notes, occurs in different ways: through the Internet; acquaintance with Islamic propaganda literature and materials of ISIS; attending sermons of radical imams; studying in religious and secular educational institutions; in prisons; within a family or a clan. The fight against the spread of extremist ideology is the most difficult task facing the countries of the region today and requiring an integrated approach to its solution in cooperation with the Muslim community, civil society and business. The modern strategy of the fight against terrorism, aimed at narrowing its social base, includes the implementation of a set of measures – promoting deradicalization programs, counter-propaganda of the radical Islamism ideology, work with youth, etc. In the sum, the author concludes that, although the Southeast Asian countries have managed to avoid large-scale terrorist attacks, the situation may worsen at any time, which was confirmed by the events in the southern Philippines in 2017. The main thing for the Philippines in counter-terrorism remains the implementation of measures to improve the political and socio-economic position of the local population. Indonesia, in turn, faces great difficulties in the fight against terrorism, which cannot be overcome only by strengthening the powers of counter-terrorist agencies. Even deradicalization programs will not give the expected effect in a situation when the process of Islamization of the country accelerates. This problem also threatens Malaysia whose success in counter-terrorist activities can be minimized amid the politicization of Islam, which creates a breeding ground for the radicalization of part of the Muslim population, especially young people. The most important thing in the fight against terrorism, as the experience of Singapore shows, is mobilization of the whole society, close interaction of the state and population.

Efficient Geocasting in Opportunistic Networks

With the proliferation of smartphones and their advanced connectivity capabilities, opportunistic networks have gained a lot of traction during the past years; they are suitable for increasing network capacity and sharing ephemeral, localised content. They can also offload traffic from cellular networks to device-to-device ones, when cellular networks are heavily stressed. Opportunistic networks can play a crucial role in communication scenarios where the network infrastructure is inaccessible due to natural disasters, large-scale terrorist attacks or government censorship. Geocasting, where messages are destined to specific locations (casts) instead of explicitly identified devices, has a large potential in real world opportunistic networks, however it has attracted little attention in the context of opportunistic networking.In this paper we propose Geocasting Spray And Flood (GSAF), a simple and efficient geocasting protocol for opportunistic networks. GSAF follows an elegant and flexible approach where messages take random walks towards the destination cast. Messages that are routed away from the destination cast are extinct when devices’ buffers get full, freeing space for new messages to be delivered. In GSAF, casts do not have to be pre-defined; instead users can route messages to arbitrarily defined casts. GSAF does that in a privacy-preserving fashion. We also present DA-GSAF, a Direction-Aware extension of GSAF in which messages are forwarded to encountered nodes based on whether a node is moving towards their destination cast. In DA-GSAF only the direction of a mobile node is revealed to other devices. We experimentally evaluate our protocols and compare their performance to prominent geocasting protocols in a very wide set of scenarios, including different maps, mobility models and user populations. Both GSAF and DA-GSAF perform significantly better compared to all other studied protocols, in terms of message delivery ratio, latency and network overhead. DA-GSAF is particularly efficient in sparse scenarios minimising network overhead compared to all other studied protocols. Both GSAF and DA-GSAF perform very well for a wide range of device/user populations indicating that our proposal is viable for crowded and sparse opportunistic networks.

Афганистан после 2014 года

Since the United States withdrew most of its troops from Afghanistan, the situation has not changed in a positive way, but, to the contrary, has deteriorated further. The ruling elite, despite having firm support from Washington and the West in general, has been unable tomaintain the necessary consolidation. The National Unity Government (NUG) formed after the 2014 presidential election, has remain politically shaky and vulnerable. The economy operates predominantly on foreign financial and economic injections. The country’s 10-year economic programme to achieve self-sufficiency has not had a meaningful effect.The NUG has not been successful in launchingnegotiations with its armed opponents, who have endorsed the complete withdrawal of the forces of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Taliban continues to control a significant part of the country. Along with intensive military operations, it conducts large-scale terrorist attacks in a number of big citiesincluding Kabul. Simultaneously, the number of ISIS fighters who have infliltrated the country’s eastern and northern areas has increased significantly.The neighbouring countries, including Russia, continue to express serious concern over instability in Afghanistan, the overall increase in ISIS activities, and the spread of drugs and terrorism emanating from Afghanistan. Considering it a potential challenge to regional security, they try to provide necessary assistance to Kabul and support its course for national reconciliation. Moscow recently explored the possibility of broadening the scope of regional component while resolving the Afghan issue.With the new administration in the United States, U.S. policy toward Afghanistan has not changed. Moreover, the possibility of expanding the military presence in Afghanistan is being explored, which could lead to further complications in the Afghan conflict.

Cyber Terrorism: Research Review: Research Report of the Australian National University Cybercrime Observatory for the Korean Institute of Criminology

This review of cyber-terrorism outlines the main trends and challenges presented by the convergence of the exceptional reach, speed and scale of the Internet and the political ambitions of violent extremists. Chapters on cyber weapons, critical infrastructure, attribution, Internet of Things, recruitment and propaganda, financing, legislation and counter measures, and cyberwar. Each chapter provides a brief summary of a key aspect of the cyber terror phenomenon, an analysis of emerging trends or perspectives, and other relevant information or examples identified during the research. At the end of each chapter a brief annotated bibliography is included to assist future research and give readers more information about the sources used. The report has drawn on a broad range of sources including government documents (e.g. law enforcement and security agencies), web/blog posts, academic articles, information security websites and online news articles about cyber terrorism. The final chapter concludes with a discussion on the likelihood of a cyber terrorist attack. At present a sophisticated large-scale cyber terrorist attack with a kinetic element appears to be unlikely. However, this may change in the next five years because of the increasing capacity of many nation states (including proxy actors) to undertake offensive measures in the cyber domain. Moreover, one notes the increasing risk that sophisticated weaponised software may enter the ‘wild’ and into the criminal underworld, and potentially into the hands of capable violent extremists. A serious cyber terrorist kinetic event (for example, the interruption of power supply or transport services with death or injury as one of the outcomes) is therefore currently unlikely, but high volume/low value or impact events are on the rise (e.g. the routine use of ransomware to finance a terrorist group, the distribution of deceptive or ‘fake’ news, and the mounting of distributed denial of service [DDoS] attacks to undermine confidence in e-commerce). The risk of a cyber terrorism attack should therefore not be understated as an emerging threat, and consequently, preventative and response capabilities should be maintained and advanced. Contemporary society, in short, is coming to realise that violent extremism, albeit relatively rare, is the ‘new normal’. Though it may be difficult to predict each specific event, we can be reasonably certain that at some future point, they will occur.

State-of-the-Art Advances in Radiation Biodosimetry for Mass Casualty Events Involving Radiation Exposure.

With the possibility of large-scale terrorist attacks around the world, the need for modeling and development of new medical countermeasures for potential future chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) has been well established. Project Bioshield, initiated in 2004, provided a framework to develop and expedite research in the field of CBRN exposures. To respond to large-scale population exposures from a nuclear event or radiation dispersal device (RDD), new methods for determining received dose using biological modeling became necessary. The field of biodosimetry has advanced significantly beyond this original initiative, with expansion into the fields of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics. Studies are ongoing to evaluate the use of lymphocyte kinetics for dose assessment, as well as the development of field-deployable EPR technology. In addition, expansion of traditional cytogenetic assessment methods through the use of automated platforms and the development of laboratory surge capacity networks have helped to advance our biodefense preparedness. In this review of the latest advances in the field of biodosimetry we evaluate our progress and identify areas that still need to be addressed to achieve true field-deployment readiness.

Small-Scale Crisis Events Impact on Price Discovery and Volatiliy Transmission Across Financial Markets: Evidence from Terror Attacks, Assassinations, North-Korean Saber-Rattling, and Natural Disasters

We examine the impact of 51 terrorist attacks, three wars, an assassination, and other national security-related shocks on stock markets located in nations proximate to the crises and on American Depository Receipts (ADRs) of firms headquartered in those same nations. ADRs are securities that trade on American markets that entitle investors to the cash flows (denominated in dollars) of foreign firms. We find that small-scale terrorist attacks that receive little media attention do not affect ADR returns. Large scale terrorist attacks, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, highly provocative actions by North Korea, and small-scale wars affect ADR returns while natural disasters do not. The negative effect on ADRs is short lived. We also examine the volatility structures of two ADR indexes (Korea and India) and their underlying home market indexes. We find that there is bi-directional information flow between the ADR markets and the home market indexes. We find evidence that various shocks affect the volatility structures of these indexes, both ADR and home market indexes.

University and airline bomber

Since the second half of the 18th century (from the beginning of the industrial revolution) to date, the history of mankind has seen continuous vertiginous rise of science and technology. This has been the time of the greatest successes of the human race since its existence (the invention of numerous medicines for various diseases; creation and advance development of machines supporting the human work and recreation; building the spaceships; going to the Moon, etc.). However, this time period has also seen many unfavorable things (such as, creating machines to kill other people more easily; world wars; large-scale terrorist attacks; ruthless exploitation of human labor, etc.). All the above-mentioned led to that some groups of people and individuals considered this progress to be a threat to human species. Although to some extent they were right in their condemnations of these harmful things, some of these groups and individuals decided to oppose this progress by violent acts, which led to human casualties as well.

Terrorist Attacks, Saber Rattling, Other Crisis Events and American Depository Receipt Returns and Volatility: If We Stop Shopping, the Evil Doers Win

I examine the impact of 51 terrorist attacks, three wars, an assassination, and other national security-related shocks on the returns of American Depository Receipts (ADRs). ADRs are securities that trade on American markets that entitle investors to the cash flows (denominated in dollars) of foreign firms. I find that small-scale terrorist attacks that receive little media attention do not affect ADR returns. Large scale terrorist attacks, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, highly provocative actions by North Korea, and small-scale wars affect ADR returns while natural disasters do not. The negative effect on ADRs is short lived. I also examine the volatility structures of two ADR indexes (Korea and India) and their underlying home market indexes. I find that there is bi-directional information flow between the ADR markets and the home market indexes. I find evidence that various political shocks affect the volatility structures of these indexes, both ADR and home market indexes.

Pediatrics Digest

Pediatrics Digest Summary| July 01 2014 Pediatrics Digest Pediatrics (2014) 134 (1): D1–D5. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.digest1341 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Pediatrics Digest. Pediatrics July 2014; 134 (1): D1–D5. 10.1542/peds.digest1341 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All PublicationsAll JournalsPediatricsHospital PediatricsPediatrics In ReviewNeoReviewsAAP Grand RoundsAAP NewsAll AAP Sites Search Advanced Search Topics: adverse childhood experiences, artificial tanning, autism spectrum disorder, autistic disorder, basal cell carcinoma, blood pressure, brain concussion, caffeine, cardiovascular system, chickenpox Research in the aftermath of large-scale terrorist attacks shows that exposed children experience numerous negative psychological sequelae, including increased emotional difficulties, posttraumatic stress, and significant attack-related life disruptions. Most research on terrorism-exposed youth examines large-scale terrorism. Limited work examines reactions to terrorism of the scope of the marathon attack, and the extraordinary manhunt and shelter-in-place warning was an unprecedented experience. Understanding adjustment after these events is critical. Since the introduction of rotavirus vaccines, diarrhea-associated health care utilization among US children has decreased substantially. Moreover, indirect benefits from rotavirus vaccination have been observed in unvaccinated children and in adults. With increasing rotavirus vaccine coverage during 2009–2011, we observed continued reductions in diarrhea-associated health care utilization and cost. Both rotavirus vaccines conferred high protection against rotavirus hospitalizations; pentavalent rotavirus vaccine provided durable protection through the fourth year of life. Varicella vaccine is effective, but there is concern that widespread use in young... You do not currently have access to this content.

‘It Can Happen To You,’ Warns Disaster Survivor, Leader

‘It Can Happen To You,’ Warns Disaster Survivor, Leader

Sensitive detection of capsaicinoids using a surface plasmon resonance sensor with anti-homovanillic Acid polyclonal antibodies.

Recently, highly functional biosensors have been developed in preparation for possible large-scale terrorist attacks using chemical warfare agents. Practically applicable sensors are required to have various abilities, such as high portability and operability, the capability of performing rapid and continuous measurement, as well as high sensitivity and selectivity. We developed the detection method of capsaicinoids, the main component of some lachrymators, using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) immunosensor as an on-site detection sensor. Homovanillic acid, which has a vanillyl group similar to capsaicinoids such as capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin, was bound to Concholepas concholepas hemocyanin (CCH) for use as an immunogen to generate polyclonal antibodies. An indirect competitive assay was carried out to detect capsaicinoids using SPR sensor chips on which different capsaicin analogues were immobilized. For the sensor chip on which 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamine hydrochloride was immobilized, a detection limit of 150 ppb was achieved. We found that the incubation time was not required and the detection can be completed in five minutes.

Chapter Four: The potential for nuclear terrorism

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal – the fastest growing in the world – raises concerns on many grounds. Although far from the scale of the Cold War, South Asia is experiencing a strategic arms race. And the more weapons there are, the more potential for theft, sabotage and nuclear terrorism. Worries that Pakistan's nuclear-weapons technology might again be transferred to nuclear aspirants have not been expunged. Being outside the nuclear club makes it harder to ensure nuclear safety. Of gravest concern is the potential for a nuclear war, triggered by another large-scale terrorist attack in India with Pakistani state fingerprints, as in the 2008 Mumbai atrocity, this time followed by an Indian Army reprisal. Lowering the nuclear threshold, Pakistan has vowed to deter this with newly introduced battlefield nuclear weapons.Mark Fitzpatrick evaluates each of the potential nuclear dangers, giving credit where credit is due. Understanding the risks of nuclear terrorism and nuclear accidents, Pakistani authorities have taken appropriate steps. Pakistan and India have devoted less attention, however, to engaging each other on the issues that could spark a nuclear clash. The author argues that to reduce nuclear dangers, Pakistan should be offered a formula for nuclear legitimacy, tied to its adoption of policies associated with global nuclear norms.

Chapter Three: The potential for a nuclear arms race

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal – the fastest growing in the world – raises concerns on many grounds. Although far from the scale of the Cold War, South Asia is experiencing a strategic arms race. And the more weapons there are, the more potential for theft, sabotage and nuclear terrorism. Worries that Pakistan's nuclear-weapons technology might again be transferred to nuclear aspirants have not been expunged. Being outside the nuclear club makes it harder to ensure nuclear safety. Of gravest concern is the potential for a nuclear war, triggered by another large-scale terrorist attack in India with Pakistani state fingerprints, as in the 2008 Mumbai atrocity, this time followed by an Indian Army reprisal. Lowering the nuclear threshold, Pakistan has vowed to deter this with newly introduced battlefield nuclear weapons.Mark Fitzpatrick evaluates each of the potential nuclear dangers, giving credit where credit is due. Understanding the risks of nuclear terrorism and nuclear accidents, Pakistani authorities have taken appropriate steps. Pakistan and India have devoted less attention, however, to engaging each other on the issues that could spark a nuclear clash. The author argues that to reduce nuclear dangers, Pakistan should be offered a formula for nuclear legitimacy, tied to its adoption of policies associated with global nuclear norms.

Chapter One: Pakistan's nuclear programme

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal – the fastest growing in the world – raises concerns on many grounds. Although far from the scale of the Cold War, South Asia is experiencing a strategic arms race. And the more weapons there are, the more potential for theft, sabotage and nuclear terrorism. Worries that Pakistan's nuclear-weapons technology might again be transferred to nuclear aspirants have not been expunged. Being outside the nuclear club makes it harder to ensure nuclear safety. Of gravest concern is the potential for a nuclear war, triggered by another large-scale terrorist attack in India with Pakistani state fingerprints, as in the 2008 Mumbai atrocity, this time followed by an Indian Army reprisal. Lowering the nuclear threshold, Pakistan has vowed to deter this with newly introduced battlefield nuclear weapons.Mark Fitzpatrick evaluates each of the potential nuclear dangers, giving credit where credit is due. Understanding the risks of nuclear terrorism and nuclear accidents, Pakistani authorities have taken appropriate steps. Pakistan and India have devoted less attention, however, to engaging each other on the issues that could spark a nuclear clash. The author argues that to reduce nuclear dangers, Pakistan should be offered a formula for nuclear legitimacy, tied to its adoption of policies associated with global nuclear norms.

Chapter Two: The potential for nuclear use

Pakistan's nuclear arsenal – the fastest growing in the world – raises concerns on many grounds. Although far from the scale of the Cold War, South Asia is experiencing a strategic arms race. And the more weapons there are, the more potential for theft, sabotage and nuclear terrorism. Worries that Pakistan's nuclear-weapons technology might again be transferred to nuclear aspirants have not been expunged. Being outside the nuclear club makes it harder to ensure nuclear safety. Of gravest concern is the potential for a nuclear war, triggered by another large-scale terrorist attack in India with Pakistani state fingerprints, as in the 2008 Mumbai atrocity, this time followed by an Indian Army reprisal. Lowering the nuclear threshold, Pakistan has vowed to deter this with newly introduced battlefield nuclear weapons.Mark Fitzpatrick evaluates each of the potential nuclear dangers, giving credit where credit is due. Understanding the risks of nuclear terrorism and nuclear accidents, Pakistani authorities have taken appropriate steps. Pakistan and India have devoted less attention, however, to engaging each other on the issues that could spark a nuclear clash. The author argues that to reduce nuclear dangers, Pakistan should be offered a formula for nuclear legitimacy, tied to its adoption of policies associated with global nuclear norms.