Death Dust: The Little-Known Story of U.S. and Soviet Pursuit of Radiological Weapons

Summary

The pursuit of radiological weapons by states has received little scholarly attention. Yet several countries, most prominently the United States and the Soviet Union, developed and tested these weapons before ultimately abandoning their programs. A comparative analysis of these underexplored programs identifies the drivers behind their rise and demise. The findings also illuminate the factors likely to affect the pursuit of radiological weapons by other states in the future.