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The impact of using weapons of mass destruction on humans
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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION 2 When someone says weapons of mass destruction, what comes to your mind? Whether it's nuclear bombs, biological weapons, or dangerous chemicals, they can be inimical and formidable to many people all across the world. The thought of what to do if an attack of this nature were to occur can be horrifying. Learning more about these weapons can help to dispel any angst that you have about your personal safety due to these accoutrements possessed by foreign countries. The classification, usage, and effects of these deadly weapons are all essential topics to understand when discussing this subject. There are different types of weapons of mass destruction. They are classified as nuclear, biological, and chemical. Nuclear weapons are defined as devices designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two processes (Cochran, n.d.). Nuclear weapons can also be broken down into smaller categories. These categories are surface bursts, underground, underwater, air, and high-altitude. They are determined mainly by their location and altitude of the explosion. Next, the second classification of weapons of mass destruction is biological. Biological weapons are defined as any of a number of disease-producing agents—such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, fungi, toxins, or other biological agents—that may be utilized as weapons against humans, animals, or plants (Schneider, n.d.). Furthermore, they can be placed into smaller groups depending upon the organism or toxin that is being used. Examples of this are bacteria, rickettsiae, viruses, and fungi. Lastly, the third classification of weap... ... middle of paper ... ...sessment that the number of deaths in a well coordinated and designed attack could result in deaths ranging from 130,000 to 3,000,000. Furthermore, with all the bans and parameters in place, the use of a weapon of mass destruction by any country or group of people would be greatly condoned by the rest of the world unless it is under extenuating circumstances. In summation, weapons of mass destruction have been proved to be a very powerful resource throughout the history of the world. Although, it has also proved to be very deadly. There is still so much that we don't know about the fallout and consequences of the usage of these weapons due to the tight restrictions put in place to keep us, as the human race, safer. That is why the classification, usage, and effects of these deadly weapons are all essential topics to understand when discussing this subject.
Guillemin, J. (2005). Biological weapons: From the invention of state-sponsored programs to contemporary bioterrorism Columbia University Press.
Any country with a nuclear program has the prospective to make nuclear weapons. The fuel of a nuclear reactor at its core is uranium. Low enriched uranium is used in energy production while the highly enriched version is used to make weapons and is called weapons grade uranium. The atom bomb that landed in Hiroshima used 60kg of weapons grade uranium and since the advancements of warfare it now only requires 20-25kg to make a nuclear weapon. Plutonium which is a byproduct of the fission process can also be used for manufacturing weapons and only requires 2-10kg to develop weapons. The atom bomb that landed in Nagasaki contained plutonium fuel. Depleted uranium, which is the left over from the enrichment process, is used to make military grade armor piercing bullets. These DU penetrators have been used in wars throughout history the most recent being the Gulf wars. This is a disadvantage because the depleted uranium is toxic and has been scientifically proven cause birth defects, cancer, and death where it was used. All these effects were the cause of discovering nuclear fission and its
Though biological weapons have been available for under a century, there is a long history of their use between 1914 and 1972. Chemical warfare was first introduced in 1914 at the beginning of World War I. Because of the new style of warfare with automatic weapons, trenches were dug out from the ground to defend against a slaughter. The introduction of this issue caused us to invent weapons such as the grenade, flame thrower, and finally, biological weapons. Biological weapons were distributed by hoses, grenades, and aerial attacks. By doing this, we eliminated many enemy trenches and saved a large amount of Ally lives. (Menace)
The statement “Killing 150,000 people in less than a second actually allowed fewer lives to be lost.” might sound horrendous. However, that statement is the reason why the United States was able to win the Second World War. In contrast to this statement, some people might argue that it is inhumane to massacre that many people in less than a second. The dropping of the atomic bombs on August sixth and ninth of 1945 was the correct decision for American in order to effectively and efficiently end World War Two. America should have dropped the bomb because it saved American lives, there was a lack of incentives not to use the bomb, and dropping the bombs was the quickest way to end the war.
...e bodies and ending the life. This form of weapons challenges the notion that power works to create and maintain bodies, this “necropolitical force works to extinguish life, rather than create it. This sort of backwards-ing of our system(western world) is a “queering force”, and further works to alienate the “terrorist”.
Cluster bombs are a bomb that has a bunch of missiles that on impact to wound or damage people and vehicles. They mean to hit many different areas at one time. Land mines are explosives that are on the ground or hidden so that soldiers cannot find them. They hide from view so that when someone steps on them ...
Knowing the history of chemical weapons and their devastating effects will help explain the reasoning for the development of weapons inspection team and why their success is vital to world peace. This paper will provide a small amount of history on chemical weapons, discuss the history of the weapons inspection teams and explain how the members are selected and trained. Incidents of the use of weapons of mass destruction will be mentioned which explain the reason for the development of the weapons inspection teams.
Also today is the danger that life is extinguished on earth through such a horrible weapon , not over. Many states are in possession of nuclear bombs , because that means for them power. Even dictatorships and unjust regime like China and North Korea have nuclear weapons.
One of the foremost growing concerns in the modern globalized world is the increasing rate of nuclear proliferation. Coupled with the burgeoning number of nuclear devices is the threat of a terrorist possibly obtaining a weapon of such magnitude. While one could argue that the rising number of states with nuclear capability is a disturbing prospect, particularly as many pursue such capabilities without the approval of the “traditional” nuclear powers, terrorists in possession of nuclear arms presents the most horrific outlook concerning nuclear proliferation. Terrorist groups, unlike states, are not organized governmental bodies, which complicates any means of formalized diplomacy or negotiation. Furthermore, unlike as compared to a state, one cannot formally declare war on a terrorist group, thus causing difficulties in regards to concerns of specific conflicts or targets. It is not as if one could penalize a terrorist group with economic sanctions or any other means states employ to deter threats from and intimidate one another. The globalized world has created a form of terrorism that knows no borders, and it would be very difficult to exert one’s will on a terrorist group, at least on a large scale. The coinciding fact that terrorists do not conduct warfare in the same manner as states do makes them increasingly unpredictable. A terrorist employment of a nuclear arm would not occur during an organized conflict; rather it would be used in a terrorist attack without warning. And due to the growing fervor of fundamental religious terrorism, there is a greater willingness among terrorists to sacrifice their own lives in pursuit of their goals. These combined elements create a frightening world in which today’s most astounding new threat possesses weapons of the most awesome power.
According the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s webpage, Weapons of Mass Destruction are defined under the United States of America Law as:
The development and usage of the first atomic bombs has caused a change in military, political, and public functionality of the world today. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki revolutionized warfare by killing large masses of civilian population with a single strike. The bombs’ effects from the blast, extreme heat, and radiation left an estimated 140,000 people dead. The bombs created a temporary resolution that lead to another conflict. The Cold War was a political standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States that again created a new worldwide nuclear threat. The destructive potential of nuclear weapons had created a global sweep of fear as to what might happen if these terrible forces where unleashed again. The technology involved in building the first atomic bombs has grown into the creation of nuclear weapons that are potentially 40 times more powerful than the original bombs used. However, a military change in strategy has came to promote nuclear disarmament and prevent the usage of nuclear weapons. The technology of building the atomic bomb has spurred some useful innovations that can be applied through the use of nuclear power. The fear of a potential nuclear attack had been heightened by the media and its release of movies impacting on public opinion and fear of nuclear devastation. The lives lost after the detonation of the atomic bombs have become warning signs that changed global thinking and caused preventative actions.
The Cold War was a time of great tension all over the world. From 1945 to 1989, the United States was the leader and nuclear power and was competing with the Soviet Union to create huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. However, even though the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons are still a threat. Countries around the world strive to create nuclear power, and they do not promise to use it for peaceful purposes. Some examples of the struggles caused by nuclear weapons include the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s recent nuclear weapon program. Surely, nuclear weapons have created conflict all over the world since the Cold War era.
The outcome of an attack, chemical or otherwise, is a culmination of choices and variables which can’t be repeated exactly even if it is as basic an attack as a single actor, single bomb scenario. Weapons of Mass Destruction, the meta-fear for any physical terrorist attack, are not just one type of weapon. They may be nuclear and make an entire area uninhabitable indefinitely. They may be ballistic or incendiary and have multiple timed releases. They may contain invisible biological components meant to infect the population with a contagion. As the world has (thankfully) not experienced many large-scale, WMD attacks, their effects on civilian populations are not well known or studied precisely because components which make up any one WMD can be combined or separated to varying effects which are also not well known or studied (FEMA, 2002).
In conclusion, it is clear that a biological weapon is wrong. When Saddam Hussein threatened to turn the Persian Gulf War into “the mother of all wars” the world shook with the possible implications. The United States managed to divert the course of the war such as this did not happen. In other situation these results have not been as successful, unfortunately, and many people have suffered and died. I hope that civilization is moving towards total illumination of biological weaponry.
A weapon, according to Oxford Dictionary, is defined as “a thing designed or used for inflicting bodily harm or physical damage”. Due to the fact that humans have always fought and killed each other, it is hard to determine an exact time in which weapons were first used, but according to ancient cave paintings dating back from 10,000 to 5,000 BC weapons such as bows were used. Over centuries weapons steadily advance till the 16th century when guns were invented. In the beginning of the 19th century a man by the name of Sir William Congreve engineered the first rocket used in warfare. The rocket was not a very good one, it lacked accuracy, but because of a need to have the best and most powerful weapon, improvements and other designs were created which lead to the first super weapons being built. What exactly is a super weapon? A Super weapon is a “very powerful weapon compared to others in its era.” Although many countries have their own different types of super weapons, it has been very rare that a super weapon has been used in history. One of the most well-known uses of a super weapon would be the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Super weapons today are known as weapons of mass destruction. Today any involvement with super weapons is closely monitored. Any country that operates, research, or funds super weapons is observed. The ethical issue involving engineering weapons is “when is it too much?” Weapons have evolved from being just an item for protection, to now having the capacity of annihilating an entire country. Many argue that having a single weapon that could eliminate an entire country is extreme, because the weapon not only eliminates the enemy but also many innocent civili...