Pundits and citizens, politicians and religious leaders--everyone has an opinion about recent U.S. military actions in Iraq. But how many of us know what Saddam Hussein's games with chemical and biological weapons really mean for our safety? How real is the threat?

We all see a rise in the visibility of extremist groups here in the U.S. and in the availability of dangerous literature over the internet. We know that the former Soviet Union's nuclear stockpile has been poorly safeguarded. What if the Oklahoma City bomber had used a nuclear weapon? How likely is such an incident, and what would happen if one occurred? Are we approaching an era of nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism?

Jessica Stern, former Director of the Nuclear Smuggling Interagency group of the National Security Council, provides answers in THE ULTIMATE TERRORISTS, to be published March 20, 1999 by Harvard University Press. She is one of the world's leading experts on the types of weapons of mass destruction that exist, where they are hidden, who has the access and expertise to use them, and what would happen if they were used in the U.S. In spartan prose thick with revealing facts, she lays out the current state of affairs and offers concrete ways to minimize the threat.

Stern shows us that deaths from terrorism have been on the rise for two decades, and explains in detail why we can expect the trend to continue. Modern, democratic societies are particularly vulnerable to terrorism, she argues, because their citizens tend to live and work in close concentration and because their emphasis on free speech allows the violent fringe to find supporters, materials, and information. The pain and chaos caused by terrorists will increase exponentially if they begin to use nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. Stern identifies several recent developments that have increased the risk of such an incident:

--A new breed of terrorists is emerging. Motivated by religious conviction, extreme right ideology, or apocalyptic beliefs, these terrorists appear unconstrained by traditional ethics or political pressures.

--With the breakup of the Soviet Union, the black market now offers nuclear and chemical weapons components. And chemical and biological weapons are proliferating in nations around the globe, increasing the possibility that they might fall into terrorist hands.

--Nuclear weapons designs and poison manuals are increasingly available, especially over the internet. Unemployed former Soviet weapons scientists are a growing source of nuclear expertise.

--Increasingly atomized societies, including the U.S., are both vulnerable targets and fertile breeding grounds for terrorists.

Weapons of mass destruction are still difficult for terrorists to use successfully, and the use of such weapons by terrorists is likely to be rare. But while the probability is low, the cost in lives lost and in threats to civil liberties is potentially devastating. Stern argues that government officials will be remiss if they do not take serious measures now to reduce the likelihood and severity of the ever growing threat.

Jessica Stern currently teaches at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University and is a former member of the staff of the National Security Council, where she ran the Nuclear Smuggling Interagency group as director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian affairs. Stern also has been a Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC and at the Belfer Center for Sciences and International Affairs at Harvard University. From 1994 to 1995, she worked on the National Security Council staff at the White House as the Director for Russian, Ukranian and Eurasian Affairs. Responsible for nuclear smuggling and fissile materials security, she led several interagency groups at the NSC, including the Nuclear Smuggling Group, which she established. She also helped to oversee the final stages of Project Sapphire, a secret operation to transfer over half a ton of highly enriched uranium from Kazakhstan to safe storage in the United States.

Stern is the author of numerous articles on nuclear and chemical weapons policy and terrorism, and she was the model for the Nicole Kidman character in The Peacemaker, a Dreamworks film about nuclear-weapons terrorism. She also consulted the filmmakers on the dangerous reality of nuclear weapons smuggling.

Facts from The Ultimate Terrorists

--In May 1995, Larry Wayne Harris, a former member of neo-Nazi organizations, purchased three vials of the bacterium that causes bubonic plague through the mail. He placed his order with American Type Culture Collection, a company that has sold biological agents to Iraq. No law prohibited Harris or any other American from purchasing the germ that wiped out a quarter of Europe's population in the 14th century. He was convicted of mail fraud because he had misrepresented himself on his purchase order. (see page 8)

--In March 1995, members of the Minnesota Patriots Council were arrested for producing the powerful toxin ricin. They planned to assassinate a deputy U.S. marshal who had served papers on one of them for tax violations. (see page 8)

--Hundreds of tons of nuclear material, the essential ingredient of nuclear weapons, are stored at vulnerable sites throughout the former Soviet Union, guarded by underpaid, hungry, and disheartened people. At least eight thefts of materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons from formerly Soviet facilities have been confirmed. While Russia's long-range strategic weapons are protected by locks, thousands of smaller weapons have less sophisticated protection or no locks at all. (see page 9)

--In May 1997, General Lebed told a visiting U.S. congressional delegation that of 132 "suitcase bombs" (small nuclear weapons) in the former Soviet arsenal, he could only locate 48. (see page 90)

--According to Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, 80 percent of Russian nuclear facilities have no monitors to detect nuclear material carried through the gates. Some store hundreds or even thousands of kilograms of bomb-grade materials in rooms secured with simple padlocks. Troops are being replaced at some facilities by old ladies employed by the paramilitary guard detachment because they are cheaper. Some facilities are guarded, as one expert put it, by "Aunt Masha with a cucumber." (see pages 95 and 96)

Praise for The Ultimate Terrorists

"Stern's study of terrorism is the most detailed and reliable at this time. It is particularly good with regard to the technical issues involved in biological and chemical terrorism. She has acquired unrivaled knowledge, both in a responsible position in government and as an independent scholar. Her book should be widely read and is highly recommended."

"What if the terrorists who bombed the world trade center had used a nuclear device or anthrax? Jessica Stern's account reads like a thriller, but is deadly serious. Fortunately, she also provides good advice."

"Will terrorists soon obtain weapons of mass destruction--nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons? If they do acquire them, will terrorists actually use them for blackmail, retribution, or simply pure destruction? These are the questions that Jessica Stern addresses in this important, well-written, and sensible volume. The Ultimate Terrorists is an excellent introduction to a potentially frightful future."