|
|
Weapons
of mass destruction WMD
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are weapons designed to
kill large numbers of people, usually civilians but also
potentially military personnel. They are generally
considered to be of limited military usefulness because
their destructiveness is likely to trigger an extreme
response. They are also known as weapons of
indiscriminate destruction, weapons of mass disruption
and weapons of catastrophic effect.
Though the phrase was coined in 1937 to describe aerial
bombardment, the types of weapons today considered to be
in this class are often referred to as NBC weapons or ABC
weapons:
nuclear weapons (including radiological weapons)
biological weaponss
chemical weaponss
Table of contents
1 Semantic Disputes
2 Responses to WMD
3 Countries that may possess WMD
Semantic Disputes
The phrase weapons of mass destruction is the source of
various semantic disputes. The phrase originated in 1937
to describe the use of strategic bombers by the German
Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War. During the Cold
War, WMD exclusively meant nuclear weapons. Indeed,
modern nuclear weapons are vastly more destructive than
either biological or chemical weapons. Chemical weapons
expert Gert Harigel believes that, as a result, only
nuclear weapons should be called weapons of mass
destruction.
The modern use of WMD to refer to NBC weapons was coined
by UN Resolution 687. This resolution refers to the
"threat that all weapons of mass destruction pose to
peace and security", and mentions in particular
nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and the three
relevant treaties:
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
Chemical Weapons Convention
Biological Weapons Convention
United States law defines WMD as "to cause death or
serious bodily injury to a significant number of
people" using chemicals, a disease organism,
radiation or radioactivity. However, the FBI also
considers conventional weapons (ie, bombs) to become WMD:
"A weapon crosses the WMD threshold when the
consequences of its release overwhelm local
responders".
In fact, so called "weapons of mass
destruction" account for a small proportion of
overall deaths due to weapons in general. Colombia's Vice
President Gustavo Bell Lemus told the UN that deaths from
bullet-firing weapons "dwarf that of all other
weapons systems - and in most years greatly exceed the
toll of the atomic bombs that devastated Hiroshima and
Nagasaki".
Responses to WMD
As mentioned above, Weapons of mass destruction,
especially nuclear weapons, are rarely used because their
use is essentially an "invitaton" for a WMD
retaliation, which in turn could escalate into a war so
destructive it could easily destroy huge segments of the
world's population.
During the Cold War, this understanding became known as
mutally assured destruction and was the largely the
reason war never broke out between the WMD-armed United
States and Soviet Union.
Generally, it can be said that WMD's are not very popular
with much of the world. Their destructiveness is a source
of unease for many, and there are always fears that they
could be used by a crazy or unstable leader. There are
strong movements to prevent further proliferation of
WMDs, as well as to eliminate nations' current WMD
hoards.
Weapons of mass destruction are used to justify the Bush
Doctrine of preemptive strikes against "rogue
states" thought to be in danger of possessing or
developing them.
Countries that may possess WMD
According to the Federation of American Scientists (FAS),
over 30 countries are "possessing, pursuing or
capable of acquiring nuclear, chemical or biological
weapons, and missile delivery systems as of 2000".
In alphabetical order, they are:
Algeria
Belarus
Bulgaria
Chile
The People's Republic of China
Cuba
Ethiopia
Egypt
France
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Kazakhstan
Laos
Libya
Myanmar
North Korea
Pakistan
Romania
Russia
Serbia and Montenegro
South Africa
South Korea
Sudan
Syria
The Republic of China (Taiwan)
Thailand
Ukraine
Vietnam
United Kingdom
United States
Text is available
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License
|
