Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents is a hardbound series that provides primary-source documents on the worldwide counter-terrorism effort. Among the documents collected are transcripts of Congressional testimony, reports by such federal government bodies as the Congressional Research Service and the Government Accountability Office, and case law covering issues related to terrorism. Most volumes carry a single theme, and inside each volume the documents appear within topic-based categories. The series also includes a subject index and other indices that guide the user through this complex area of the law.
Volume 101, Bio-Terrorism, provides a revealing survey of the current threat of biological terrorism. The documents published in this volume present the latest available information regarding the nation's concern over bioterrorism and the US government's defensive policies. Doug Lovelace's commentary encapsulates the substance of each of the documents and offers insight into their significance. This volume introduces the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's updated strategy to assist military commanders and staffs in defending against bioterrorism and underscores some of that strategy's shortcomings. Volume 101 also examines BioSense and BioShield, two of the United States' current biological defense programs. The reports in this volume reveal the gaps in both programs' effectiveness. Finally, this volume identifies the industries that may be vulnerable to bioterrorism attacks. In particular, two of the Congressional Research Service reports included in this volume illustrate that the nation's water supply and the agricultural and food infrastructure are at risk. Overall, Volume 101's collection of current key documents, coupled with Doug Lovelace's illuminating commentary, will provide researchers with an appreciation for the renewed concern about biological terrorism.
