Middle East Review of International Affairs

Volume 8, Number 3, September 2004

 

The al-Qa’ida Network and Weapons of Mass Destruction
by Jonathan Spyer ^*

 

Abstract

The use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by Middle Eastern terrorist groups is one of the world’s worst nightmares, albeit a more credible one in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. Finding evidence, however, of such groups’ plans or efforts in this direction is difficult. This article assesses the available information on the motives and capabilities of these organizations, and especially the al-Qa’ida network, to carry out such attacks. (This article was originally written for a project and conference on “Countering Threats in the Era of Mass Destruction: Accounts from the Middle East and Europe,” co-sponsored by the GLORIA Center and The Military Centre for Strategic Studies (CeMiSS) of Italy.)

Full Text (PDF, 17 pages, 91.8 KB)

Note *: Dr. Jonathan Spyer has served as a special advisor on international affairs to Israeli Cabinet ministers. He is currently a Research Fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs Center, Herzliya, Israel. Back