Chemical warfare /

In this work, the use of chemical weapons in past conflicts and previous attempts at disarmament and deterrence are discussed in detail. The author focuses his analysis on the European theater as a potential arena for future chemical warfare and concludes that poison gas could be used in a modern European conflict between the Warsaw Pact and NATO. His reasons for arriving at that conclusion are that the Soviet forces on the one hand are the best equipped to operate in a contaminated environment and possess a larger variety of chemical weapons while on the other hand weaknesses continue to exist in NATO's antichemical defenses and in its ability to deter chemical warfare based upon the threat of nuclear retaliation. Spiers claims that nuclear parity among the superpowers has eroded the credibility of this deterrence and that the Geneva disarmament talks are a long way from banning the use of chemical weapons in warfare. He claims that the logical course of action is for the US and its NATO allies to modernize existing stockpiles of chemical weapons to bolster their deterrence and provide more leverage for future negotiations in Geneva. This work contains extensive footnotes, an excellent bibliography, and an adequate index. The author has worked for the Imperial Chemical Industries in England and has written many articles on defense topics and military history. This book is suitable for both graduate and undergraduate college use and for libraries located in areas with a high military or government population.-R.J. Scauzillo, formerly United States Air Force Academy