Aum Shinrikyo’s Nuclear and Chemical Weapons Development Efforts

Journal of Strategic Security

Smith, Daniel S.¹  Nehorayoff, Andrea A²  Ash, Benjamin¹ 

[1] START Center, University of MarylandSTART Center, University of MarylandSTART Center, University of Maryland;ABS ConsultingABS ConsultingABS Consulting

关键词: Chemical weapons;    Counterterrorism;    Nonstate actors;    Nuclear weapons and nonproliferation;    Science and technology & security;    Weapons of mass destruction;   

DOI  :  10.5038/1944-0472.9.1.1510

学科分类：建筑学

来源: Henley-Putnam University Press

【 摘 要 】

This article details the terrorist activities of the Japanese cult, Aum Shinrikyo, from the perspective of its complex engineering efforts aimed at producing nuclear and chemical weapons. The experience of this millenarian organization illustrates that even violent non-state actors with considerable wealth and resources at their disposal face numerous obstacles to realizing their destructive aspirations. Specifically, Aum’s attempts at complex engineering were stymied by a combination of unchecked fantastical thinking, self-imposed ideological constraints, and a capricious leadership. The chapter highlights each of these mechanisms, as well as the specific ways in which they constrained the decision-making process and the implementation of the complex engineering tasks associated with their unconventional weapons development.

【 授权许可】

Unknown