Shopping for Bombs : Nuclear Proliferation, Global Insecurity, and the Rise and Fall of the A.Q. Khan Network

A.Q. Khan was the world's leading black market dealer in nuclear technology, described by a former CIA Director as "at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden." A hero in Pakistan and revered as the Father of the Bomb, Khan built a global clandestine network that sold the most closely guarded nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea, and Libya. Here for the first time is the riveting inside story of the rise and fall of A.Q. Khan and his role in the devastating spread of nuclear technology over the last thirty years. Drawing on exclusive interviews with key players in Islamabad, London, and Washington, as well as with members of Khan's own network, BBC journalist Gordon Corera paints a truly unsettling picture of the ultimate arms bazaar. Corera reveals how Khan operated within a world of shadowy deals among rogue states and how his privileged position in Pakistan provided him with the protection to build his unique and deadly business empire. It explains why and how he was able to operate so freely for so many years. Brimming with revelations, the book provides new insight into Iran's nuclear ambitions and how close Tehran may be to the bomb. In addition, the book contains startling new information on how the CIA and MI6 penetrated Khan's network, how the U.S. and UK ultimately broke Khan's ring, and how they persuaded Pakistan's President Musharraf to arrest a national hero. The book also provides the first detailed account of the high-wire dealings with Muammar Gadaffi, which led to Libya's renunciation of nuclear weapons and which played a key role in Khan's downfall. The spread of nuclear weapons technology around the globe presents the greatest security challenge of our time. Shopping for Bombs presents a unique window into the challenges of stopping a new nuclear arms race, a race that A.Q. Khan himself did more than any other individual to promote.
A.Q. Khan was the world's leading black market dealer in nuclear technology, described by a former CIA Director as at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden. A hero in Pakistan and revered as the Father of the Bomb, Khan built a global clandestine network that sold the most closely guarded nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea, and Libya.

Here for the first time is the riveting inside story of the rise and fall of A.Q. Khan and his role in the devastating spread of nuclear technology over the last thirty years. Drawing on exclusive interviews with key players in Islamabad, London, and Washington, as well as with members of Khan's own network, BBC journalist Gordon Corera paints a truly unsettling picture of the ultimate arms bazaar. Corera reveals how Khan operated within a world of shadowy deals among rogue states and how his privileged position in Pakistan provided him with the protection to build his unique and deadly business empire. It explains why and how he was able to operate so freely for so many years. Brimming with revelations, the book provides new insight into Iran's nuclear ambitions and how close Tehran may be to the bomb.

In addition, the book contains startling new information on how the CIA and MI6 penetrated Khan's network, how the U.S. and UK ultimately broke Khan's ring, and how they persuaded Pakistan's President Musharraf to arrest a national hero. The book also provides the first detailed account of the high-wire dealings with Muammar Gadaffi, which led to Libya's renunciation of nuclear weapons and which played a key role in Khan's downfall.

The spread of nuclear weapons technology around the globe presents the greatest security challenge of our time. Shopping for Bombs presents a unique window into the challenges of stopping a new nuclear arms race, a race that A.Q. Khan himself did more than any other individual to promote.

0195304950......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Taranto—October 2003......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 Part 1 RISE......Page 18 CHAPTER 1 Roots......Page 20 CHAPTER 2 The Bomb......Page 50 Natanz—February 2003......Page 74 CHAPTER 3 Iran—From Import to Export......Page 76 Chagai Hills—May 1998......Page 99 CHAPTER 4 North Korea—Pyongyang and Back......Page 103 Jordan—August 1995......Page 120 CHAPTER 5 The Network Expands—The Libya Deal......Page 123 Part 2 FALL......Page 144 CHAPTER 6 Picking up the Trail......Page 146 Washington, DC—September 2001......Page 169 CHAPTER 7 Watching......Page 172 London—March 2003......Page 191 CHAPTER 8 Dealing with Gadaffi......Page 193 New York—September 2003......Page 212 CHAPTER 9 Confronting Musharraf—Dealing with Khan......Page 213 Kuala Lumpur—November 2003......Page 234 CHAPTER 10 Unraveling the Network......Page 236 EPILOGUE The Spread......Page 258 Notes......Page 270 Acknowledgments......Page 292 A......Page 294 B......Page 295 E......Page 296 I......Page 297 K......Page 298 M......Page 300 N......Page 301 P......Page 302 S......Page 303 U......Page 304 Z......Page 305 A.Q. Khan was the world's leading black market dealer in nuclear technology, described by a former CIA Director as "at least as dangerous as Osama bin Laden." A hero in Pakistan and revered as the Father of the Bomb, Khan built a global clandestine network that sold nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea, and Libya. Here is the inside story of his rise and fall and his role in the devastating spread of nuclear technology over the last thirty years. Drawing on exclusive interviews with key players, BBC journalist Corera paints a truly unsettling picture, revealing how Khan operated within a world of shadowy deals among rogue states, how his privileged position in Pakistan provided him with the protection to build his deadly business empire, how the CIA and MI6 penetrated Khan's network, and how they persuaded Pakistan's President Musharraf to arrest a national hero.--From publisher description Gordon Corera. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [253]-274) And Index.