Shopping for Bombs

Nuclear Proliferation, Global Insecurity, and the Rise and Fall of the A.Q. Khan Network.

Here for the first time is the 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 an 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 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. Shopping for Bombs presents a 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.