Shopping for bombs : nuclear proliferation, global insecurity, and the rise and fall of the A.Q. Khan network

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Title:

Author:

Corera, Gordon.

ISBN:

9781850658269

Personal Author:

Corera, Gordon.

Publication Information:

London : Hurst, c2006.

Physical Description:

xvi, 288 p., [8] p. of plates : ill., maps, ports. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

Ch. 1. Roots -- Ch. 2. The bomb -- Natanz - February 2003 -- Ch. 3. Iran - from import to export -- Chagai Hills - May 1998 -- Ch. 4. North Korea - Pyongyang and back -- Jordan - August 1995 -- Ch. 5. The network expands - the Libya deal -- Ch. 6. Picking up the trail -- Washington, DC - September 2001 -- Ch. 7. Watching -- London - March 2003 -- Ch. 8. Dealing with Gadaffi -- New York - September 2003 -- Ch. 9. Confronting Musharraf - dealing with Khan -- Kuala Lumpur - November 2003 -- Ch. 10. Unraveling the network -- Epilogue : the spread.

Abstract:

"Here for the first time is the inside story of the rise and fall of A.Q. Khan and his role in the devastating spread of nuclear technology over the last thirty years. Drawing on exclusive interviews with key players in Islamabad, London, and Washington, as well as with members of Khan's own network, BBC journalist Gordon Corera paints an unsettling picture of the ultimate arms bazaar. Corera reveals how Khan operated within a world of shadowy deals among rogue states and how his privileged position in Pakistan provided him with the protection to build his unique and deadly business empire. It explains why and how he was able to operate so freely for so many years. Brimming with revelations, the book provides new insight into Iran's nuclear ambitions and how close Tehran may be to the bomb."

"In addition, the book contains new information on how the CIA and MI6 penetrated Khan's network, how the U.S. and UK ultimately broke Khan's ring, and how they persuaded Pakistan's President Musharraf to arrest a national hero. Shopping for Bombs presents a window into the challenges of stopping a new nuclear arms race, a race that A.Q. Khan himself did more than any other individual to promote."--BOOK JACKET.

Personal Subject:

Khan, A. Q. (Abdul Qadeer), 1936-.

Subject Term:

Nuclear nonproliferation.

Security, International.

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168023691237	623.45119092 C797S 2006	1	Searching... Unknown
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025435294	623.45119092 C797S 2006	2	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"Shopping for Bombs" presents the first detailed account of the emergence of Pakistan's nuclear hero A.Q. Khan as the world's leading black market salesman of nuclear weapons technology. It reveals the inside story of how he sold the most dangerous technology in the world to some of the world's most dangerous states, including Iran, North Korea and Libya and how he talked to many more. In doing so it presents a detailed insight into Tehran's nuclear ambitions and how A.Q. Khan allowed countries to shave years off the time needed to acquire nuclear weapons. The book, which is based on reporting and access to officials at the highest levels in Islamabad, London and Washington, reveals what was known of A.Q. Khan's activities by Western governments and how he was eventually put out of business by an effective harnessing of intelligence and diplomacy and a careful navigating of America's difficult relationship with Pakistan. It also provides the inside story on the deal to disarm Libya of its weapons of mass destruction and the critical role this played in dealing with Khan. The spread of nuclear weapons technology presents what must be the greatest security challenge of our time, and the story of A.Q. Khan opens a unique window allowing us to see just how difficult it is becoming to prevent a new nuclear arms race, a race which Khan himself will have done more than any other individual to promote.