Weapons of Mass Destruction - Essay Example

Weapons of Mass Destruction 19th century can be said to be one of the most violent and destructive centuries in the history. As the world was modernizing the concept of weapons was also modernizing. At first the process of modernizing the weapons was considered to be safe, but as time passed this modernizing is arriving in an alarming stage. The weapons which are now being developed are better known as ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’. In the world today the global community wants peace. Therefore no state should possess weapons which can destruct the peace in the world. Possession of weapons plays a major role in strengthening a country. It makes other states in the world fear the state which possesses it. The states which are known as super powers in the world possess these kind of weapons. The weapons are lethal in nature and can kill millions of people. However on the other hand it destroys the whole peace in the world. It not only disturbs the peace of this world but also destroys the pleasant environment prevailing in this world. Nowadays the weapons of mass destruction have expanded so much that they are falling the wrong hands. And steps are being taken to ascertain that these weapons are in safe hands. The ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ have both pros and cons. This article would further review the weapons of mass destruction in accordance to the world and environment. It would describe the advantages and disadvantages of these weapons. (Rivera 2004) Weapons of mass destruction are of many kinds like nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological. These weapons are made from the natural organisms or toxins and are made with an intention to harm or kill the opponent or enemy. These weapons are made from different elements and techniques but all of these kinds are created to kill and destroy the rivals. These weapons are capable to kill a large number of people and possess such a great power that these can destruct a vast area of land (Simons, Johnson 2002).The weapons of mass destruction can be segmented as being nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological. The chemical weapons are the ones which release gas, liquids and aerosols. They are of a lethal nature and are a threat to the people. These chemical weapons are of different types. One is the type which releases in the environment quickly and does not long for a great time. However the other type gets released in the environment steadily and lasts for decades. This type of chemical weapons is known to be very lethal for people. The chemical weapons act on the internal structure of the body in an individual. The biological weapons are built up from microorganisms and can cause death to the people through various diseases. These micro organisms can harm the human beings, animals and the plants. The nuclear weapons are the ones which release energy in an enormous amount. Nuclear fission and fusion are two major processes through which the nuclear weapons operate. These weapons can be said to be the most lethal and dangerous ones. The nuclear weapons can vaporize the living matter in an instant and it can also grind up the buildings. It also has some effects on the eye sight of an individual. It can burn up the individuals in an instant as the energy released by it is in a large amount. The radiological weapons are bombs enclosed in radioactive materials. All these weapons of mass destruction are moving towards the path of a destructive society (Carus 2006). World has become a battlefield and to keep the territories safe, countries need manpower and technology. Basically, most of the countries use these weapons as a reserve and warning for other powerful countries to keep their cruel plans away from their territory. However, if we look closely into the matter, these weapons can just destroy and harm. If a country uses these weapons on other country, they would fight back and the result of such a fight would be horrible. (Hashmi and Lee 2004) Countries are continuously trying to get in the list of those having weapons of mass destruction. The list is not short and includes Brazil, Canada, Germany, Japan, Poland, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, the United States of America and many others. However, US is the only country to use this destructive technology on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. If we examine the use of it in those circumstances, it was somehow necessary. President Truman took this step in order to save thousands of American lives. But on the other hand, we cannot forget the loss of many lives in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hence these weapons may be useful but they surely have negative affects too. (Davis 2003) If history is reviewed it can be said that the biological, chemical and radiological weapons have damaged the whole environment in this world. These weapons have produced a lot of harmful substances in the environment which has lead to a large amount of pollution being released in the environment. The rivers and soil are getting contaminated due to the usage of such materials. Even the landscapes in the world are getting harmed due to this factor. One whole eco-system can be destroyed due to the usage of these nuclear weapons. And if a whole eco-system is destroyed the individuals living in this eco-system would also be immensely affected. The air and water would get polluted to the use of these weapons which release chemical. This air when inhaled can be lethal for the animals and the human beings (Panofsky 2007). The weapons of mass destruction in this century are considered to be very significant for the countries. Every country has a will to possess them to have a stronger defense than the others. If one country possesses these weapons, it can be considered to be stronger than the one which does not possess it. When these weapons are used a country does not take into account the place of civilians and soldiers. This can be considered as a disadvantage of the weapons. These weapons when used can make the soil unlivable by individuals for many decades. The weapons of Mass Destruction were first used in the World War II. Nuclear Weapons were used in the war with the help of thorough research on the weapons. In the World War II United States of America used its nuclear bomb over the country of Japan. This bomb had devastating effects on Japan as it destroyed one whole generation in the area. It destroyed the whole area by killing many people living in Japan. And even now the effects of the nuclear bomb are felt in the generation of Japan. The chemicals left by the nuclear bomb are still detected in the air of Japan. And this effects the coming generation of Japan also. Another such incident occurred when the Chernobyl power plant released radiations. This left many people dead because of the enormous radiation given by the power plant. Since the World War II different countries have used the weapons. Iraq used it against Iran to target domestic uprisings. The effect of the weapons in Japan can be seen as the most devastating effects till date. The weapons since the World War II have developed further and have greater effects than those used in Japan. This shows how deadly and devastating a weapon of mass destruction can be. Not even this, the weapons of mass destruction can also affect the economic stability of a country. Trading is an important part of economy in the present world. It not only constitutes to the income of a country but also makes the country develop ties. Trading is a huge factor through which one country can develop strong ties with another country. However weapons of mass destruction can shake the whole foundation of trading in one country. Several examples in this regard can be taken to show that the weapons of mass destruction do affect the trading in one country. Algeria, Iraq, Serbia and Libya are common examples who are suffering from the problem of trading difficulties (Roberts 2003). Although possessing the weapons of mass destruction is not the sole reason for the trading difficulties, but it is an important factor which contributes to this difficulty. Nowadays it is a common practice amongst the countries to allocate a certain budget to the sector of defense. This budget is being used to develop these kinds of weapons and research on them. This is very costly for the states as this money could have been allocated elsewhere for the betterment of the society. If one state possesses the weapons of mass destruction then the other states are also encouraged to seek them. This can result in a war too as according to the treaties signed states are not allowed to seek for the weapons. And recently this issue led to a war in Iraq when Iraq broke the nuclear proliferation treaty. This war launched by the United States of America led to many killings and bombings in the state of Iraq. Using the weapons of mass destruction is however banned in the world by the International Treaty. The weapons of mass destruction are built at a low cost and this is also a negative factor as every state in this world would like to grab the power of these weapons. As only some major states in this world possess these weapons, they might use their power on other states to get their interests fulfilled. And as these states are stronger they will get support from all over the world because other states may be afraid of dire consequences if they oppose the super power state (Greenberg 2007). Nowadays many developing states also possess these weapons and this can be seen as a setback. The developing states might be able to possess these weapons but may not be able to control the leakage of these weapons. This would make the weapons of mass destruction available to the people and would further create problems all over the world. Civilian unrest would be caused if such a situation arises. A common man would be able to grasp on the weapons and may use it unethically. If seen from a positive aspect these weapons can be said to be a major development in the field of warfare. One who possesses these weapons is considered to be powerful than the others. The weapons if used in the right manner can be said to be a very useful development of the 19th century. In some countries the power generated from the nuclear power plants is used to provide electricity to the consumers. The weapons are being used to pressurize some other state from doing any wrong incident. Due to these weapons many wars which can occur are avoided, this is because one state knows that the other is powerful in terms of weapons. The weapons produced can be produced at a low cost as compared to the damage they do. The main advantage of the weapons of mass destruction is that the state which possesses it has a total power over the other. Therefore there are deterrent effects on the other state to wage a war (Katona, Intriligator and Sullivan 2006). These deterring effects can help the super powers to use their power to avoid states from acquiring the nuclear weapons. However at times the powers used by super powers can be said to be unjust. Like in the case of Iraq some people are of the opinion that United States used their stature in a wrong way. They used their strength of being a super power to attack on Iraq to fulfill their own interests. But at times the strength of the super powers has played an important role in avoiding wars all over the world. Any issue which the countries have amongst them goes to the super power. This allows them to control over different countries but also allows them to maintain peace all over the world due to their status. The deterrent factor also comes in the way when countries avoid fighting with each other because of the involvement of the super power (Greenberg 2007). The weapons if used in an organized way are very helpful towards the humanity and peace in this world. The stability in this world can only be maintained if such a system is maintained through out the world. The super power is the sole authority to manage the whole world and everyone should do according to the instructions passed by the super power. The weapons should be used intellectually by the super power to avoid any personal conflicts with other states. (Bellany 2007) Weapons of mass destruction have become necessary for countries to secure their future from wars and attacks. The use of these weapons has made devastating losses in the past and may result in rather complex situations in future. Regardless of the dangers of these weapons, countries are trying to develop and modernize it more and more. However the weapons have a plus factor that it allows a super power to control over the whole world. This super power would help to maintain peace all over the world and would not allow countries to wage a war against each other. Any nation which has an issue against another nation should reach the super power for assistance. Furthermore the superpower would resolve the issue verbally rather than the usage of weapons. This is a plus factor of the weapons of mass destruction. A sole state can lead the whole world out of troubles and wars. The super power would not allow other countries to acquire nuclear powers so that they can threaten other countries. Thus only a single state controls the overall authority in the world. In my view Weapons of Mass Destruction play a major role in maintaining peace through out the world. The disadvantages of these weapons are overshadowed by the plus factor of the weapons. Bibliography http://disarmament.un.org/wmd/ Simons, L. M., & Johnson, L. (2002). Weapons of Mass Destruction: They redefined warfare in the 20th century and could redefine civilization itself in the 21st. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. 202, 2-35. http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/ http://www.wmdcommission.org/ Panofsky, W. K. H. (2007). the deadly semantics of "weapons of mass destruction.". BULLETIN- ATOMIC SCIENTISTS. 63 (1), 37-39. Greenberg, M. R. (2007). Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Fear and Legacy. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 97 (9), 1544. http://www.csis.org/burke/hd/reports/EffectsTerrWMD.pdf http://www.fas.org/terrorism/wmd/index.html Jean Pascal Zanders, "Assessing the Risks of Chemical and Biological Weapons Proliferation to Terrorists," The Nonproliferation Review 6 (Fall 1999), pp. 17-34. http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/vol06/64/zander64.pdf Roberts I. (2003). Use of weapons of mass destruction. Lancet. 361 (9359). Katona, P., Intriligator, M. D., & Sullivan, J. P. (2006). Countering terrorism and WMD creating a global counter-terrorism network. London: Routledge. Bellany, I. (2007). Terrorism and weapons of mass destruction responding to the challenge. Routledge global security studies, 3. London: Routledge. http://www.fas.org/bwc/papers/bw20th.htm Davis, L. E. (2003). Individual preparedness and response to chemical, radiological, nuclear, and biological terrorist attacks. Santa Monica, CA: Rand. http://www.nci.org/nuketerror.htm Hashmi, S. H., & Lee, S. (2004). Ethics and weapons of mass destruction religious and secular perspectives. The ethikon series in comparative ethics. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Carus, W. S. (2006). Defining Weapons of Mass Destruction. Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center. http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itps/0702/ijpe/ijpe0702.htm Rivera, S. (2004). Weapons of mass destruction. Edina, Minn: Abdo & Daughters. Read More