Saddam's Secrets Book

Modern diplomacy has aspects that the classic era never allowed for, among them the concept of states whose defeat in war means that they can be forbidden certain weapons which the victorious power possesses and that their adherence to international weapons treaties can be policed. Tim Trevan is both a British diplomat and an expert on biological warfare, and was seconded to the UN Special Commission for Iraq in the aftermath of the Gulf War. He is not concerned with the ethics of the matter, simply with the job of ensuring that Iraq neither develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, nor retain any it already possesses. He explains in some detail how dual use remains a constant issue--it is possible with the correct expertise to use a plant for brewing nine months a year and for growing anthrax the rest; he establishes the case that Iraq obstructed the investigations of the commission and that the punitive actions of Operation Desert Fox were justified. What this is not is a completely objective account which weighs the allegations of extra-curricular intelligence work made against some members of the commission; it is a highly competent, but partial, brief by a prosecutor and essential reading.Read More