The author covers the threat to civillian aviation from shoulder-fired missiles, looks at possible technological countermeasures, and proposes several policy options.
Chris Phoenix argues that while the economic value and military significance of molecular manufacturing will be immense, "if a well-designed plan is not in place, serious risks will very likely lead to military destruction, social or economic disruption or unnecessary human suffering on a large scale."
Efforts are underway in the U.S., the European Community, and to a lesser extent in a few other countries, to design reactor technologies and fuel cycles that are safer, more efficient in their generation of nuclear waste, and more proliferation-resistant than today's systems.