{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/025321730X?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"025321730X","authors":["Helen E. Purkitt","Stephen F. Burgess"],"book_id":"9780253217301","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780253217301","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780253217301.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","description":"South Africa's Weapons of Mass Destruction offers an in-depth view of the secret development and voluntary disarmament of South Africa's nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons program, Project Coast. Helen E. Purkitt and Stephen F. Burgess explore how systems used for nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons in South Africa were acquired and established beyond the gaze of international and domestic political actors. On the basis of archival evidence from Project Coast and their own extensive interviews with military and political officials, Purkitt and Burgess consider what motivates countries to acquire and build such powerful weaponry and examine when and how decisions are made to dismantle a military arsenal voluntarily. Questions such as how to destroy weapons safely and keep them from reappearing on international markets are considered along with comparative strategies for successful disarmament in other nation-states.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9780253217301","publication_date":"20050511","publisher":"Indiana University Press","slug":"south-africa-s-weapons-of-mass-destruction","subtitle":"","title":"South Africa's Weapons of Mass Destruction"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"HIS047000","confidence_band":"high","label":"South Africa History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL001000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Arms Control & Security","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}],"hint":[],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"HIS047000","confidence_band":"high","label":"South Africa History","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"POL001000","confidence_band":"high","label":"Arms Control & Security","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"South Africa History","score":1,"slug":"south-africa-history"},{"label":"Arms Control & Security","score":1,"slug":"arms-control-security"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy South Africa History","Good for readers interested in african","Good for readers who enjoy South Africa History and Arms Control & Security."],"related_lists":[],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Walter Rodney","Angela Davis"],"book_id":"9781788731188","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781788731188.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":10.9244,"title":"How Europe Underdeveloped Africa","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781788731188"},{"authors":["Martin Meredith"],"book_id":"9781586486419","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781586486419.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":10.3802,"title":"Diamonds, Gold, and War","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781586486419"},{"authors":["John Carlin"],"book_id":"9780143115724","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780143115724.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":10.3221,"title":"Playing the Enemy","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780143115724"},{"authors":["Vincent Bevins"],"book_id":"9781541724006","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781541724006.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":8.4646,"title":"The Jakarta Method","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781541724006"},{"authors":["Paul Farmer"],"book_id":"9781250800237","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781250800237.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":8.287,"title":"Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781250800237"},{"authors":["Daniel Ellsberg"],"book_id":"9781608196739","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781608196739.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":8.2488,"title":"The Doomsday Machine","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781608196739"},{"authors":["Victor Turner"],"book_id":"9780801491016","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9780801491016.jpg?v=20260402T191500Z-bisacv2site-fullset%3A2026-04-05T16%3A15%3A58Z","score":8.2308,"title":"The Forest of Symbols","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9780801491016"}],"topics":[{"evidence_refs":["keyword:history"],"label":"History","score":0.9238,"slug":"history"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:african studies"],"label":"African","score":0.1109,"slug":"african"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:politics"],"label":"Politics","score":0.1054,"slug":"politics"},{"evidence_refs":["keyword:african studies"],"label":"Studies","score":0.079,"slug":"studies"}],"what_you_get":["Themes: History, African, Politics.","Reading lane: South Africa History and Arms Control & Security.","Publisher: Indiana University Press."]},"llm_signals":null,"source_presence":{"amazon":true,"book_detail":true,"goodreads":true,"llm_signals":false,"similarity_seed":true},"stats":{"amazon_ratings_count":0,"goodreads_ratings_count":3,"goodreads_reviews_count":0,"quality_score":0.809}}