LAUSR

This 652-page book has six main sections and in total 21 chapters, including the introduction and conclusion. The basic themes discussed in the book include the prevention and disarmament issues related to the Chemical and Biological Weapons and the possible role for arms control, the ongoing advancements taking place in the field of chemistry and biology and the role of civil society to address various challenges posed by such weapons. The work was published before the 4th Review Conference of the Chemical Weapons Treaty (CWC, November 21–30, 2018). The context and concept of the book partially revolves around identifying the challenges for the Review Conference and how best the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) could address such challenges within its limited resources. Unfortunately, the 4th Review Conference (held at The Hague) ended on a sombre note owing to the differences amongst the state parties with regard to recognition of the State of Palestine which became a State Party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) on June 16, 2018. Also, during the course of the Review Conference, it became obvious that there are differences amongst the parties on issue of addressing the Syrian chemical weapons threat. But, it is important to mention that the failure of the 4th Review Conference in no way reduces the relevance of this work, which actually has been built around the essentials for this conference. This is mainly because the issues debated and discussed could have a backdrop of the 4th Review Conference, but have wider significance, both in time and space. In this book, some chapters have been contributed by the editors themselves and some have been written by other internationally acclaimed experts. Though an exhaustive work with more than 20 chapters, it has been written by a limited number of authors, with some contributing more than one chapter. The limited number of authors covering a wide canvas has helped to maintain continuity in the argument and develop a common connect amongst various themes and chapters. The strength of the book lies in its multi-disciplinary approach. Both scientific and policy aspects have been addressed in a lucid and logical manner. Broadly, the book addresses various chemical and life sciences-related issues which offer possibilities for misuse. It analyses the existing abilities, limitations and failures of the relevant international arms control and disarmament instruments towards addressing Strategic Analysis, 2019 Vol. 43, No. 1, 78–80, https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2019.1565188