Inquiry: Edward M Spiers: A HISTORY OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

Biological and chemical weapons are reviled and feared by all civilized nations. Yet their use goes back hundreds of years and despite international concerns and treaties, they have most extensively been used during the 20th Century. Tonight on Inquiry, we speak with EDWARD M SPIERS, Professor of Strategic Studies and Pro-Dean of Research in the Faculty of Arts at Leeds University. His new book A HISTORY OF CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS is an informative overview of how countries have used these agents to further political ends. Tonight we talk about the use of gases in World War I, the development and strategic use of Mustard and nerve gas by Saddam Hussein against Iran and the Kurds and finally the potential for terrorists to use these “poor man’s atom bombs”.