Chemical warfare is the most terrifying and debilitating way to gain the advantage on your enemy or adversary. The use of chemical warfare dates back to World War I; although it is believed that Spartan and Greek armies used a type of chemical warfare dated back to 82-72 BC. Chemicals were used in combat during World War I. Some of the chemicals being used were chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas. The Chemical Warfare in World War I began as the Germans used chlorine gas, and threw it into the trenches where the troops and most of the defensive positions were located.
Such as nerve gases, the atomic bomb, and Adolf Hitler had scientists work on something to increase longevity. At the end of W.W.II every country knew about the advantages of deadly gases than conventional shoot outs and destructive bombs. Gases such as tear gas have been used in limited wars since W.W.II, such as in the Vietnam War; tear gas is also employed by civilian police forces to stop riots. The more deadly gases such as mustard gas and nerve gas has generally been condemned by most countries. Such weapons do remain in some arsenals, but treaties have gotten rid of them.
Although not much is recorded on the early uses of chemical warfare, It is noted that chemical warfare has been used as far back as 4th Century BC by the Indians who dipped their arrows in snake venom. This caused the opponent to become poisoned and eventually lead to their death. In the 5th Century BC during the Siege of Plataea the Spartans used a form of chemical warfare to drive away the Persians. By burning sulphur, a smoke was created which acted as an irritant causing a choking effect. The first large scale uses of chemical warfare were World War 1 and Vietnam.
In spite of the lives lost during the bombing, it had taught humans a great deal about atomic bombs and it had advanced mankind. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified and necessary for World War II. In Japan there were more than 2 million combat troops and 9000 aircrafts ready to fight till the very end. Japan was famous for their resistance and pride and the war may take a lot of energy and time to end. If the allies did not use the atomic bombs, peace may come with a heavy price with possibly 500,000 American causalities, as well as that many for Japanese soldiers and maybe half of that number for British.
Al Qaida: terrorist selection and recruitment. National Security Research Division Jaber, H. (1999). Hezbollah: Born with a vengeance. New York: Columbia University Press. Miller, M. A.
One of these scourges was smallpox, a highly infectious and deadly disease that causes boils to sprout on the entire body. Once endemic to the entire world, it has been wiped out with mass vaccination efforts by the World Health Organization with the last reported case being in 1977 in Somalia (Tucker 118). The threat of the virus still looms over us, however, with the advent of the age of terrorism. Its transmission method (human to human), the lack of effective treatment, its high mortality rate, and its ease of weaponization has compelled the Centers for Disease Control to classify it as a Category A bioterrorist agent with the highest potential for use as a weapon against civilians (Ryan 41). The smallpox disease is caused by the Variola virus, a virus of the Orthopox family, which also includes cowpox, monkeypox, and other related diseases (Tucker 5).
The bomb allowed the United States to appear more powerful and led to them influencing the rest of the world. The dropping of the atomic bomb was also a just response to the previous atrocities committed by Japan to other countries including the United States. In the long run, the bomb saved more lives that would have been lost in the war, since the bombs caused the Japanese to surrender and ended WWII. The Americans made a smart decision when dropping the bomb, because it led to future success for them and the rest of the world. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima allowed the United States to have more influence around the world, thus allowing them to spread ideas of democracy and freedom.
Chemical and Biological Weaponry Introduction: A Modern Day Trojan Horse Although the envelope resembled a letter from a fourth grade student, the contents addressed to Senator Tom Daschle were life threatening. Laced within the envelope was a form of the bacteria known as Bacillus Anthracis, bacteria more commonly known as anthrax. When exposed to humans, an anthrax infection leads to the release of toxins, which if not properly treated are fatal (cnn.com). Around the same time of Senator Daschle’s threat, other cases of anthrax exposure were publicized. Just like that, chemical and biological weaponry worry the minds of the public.
In 1914, during world war I, poison gas was released and was also very effective , there were over 100,000 deaths, and 900,000 casualties as the cause of this poison gas. Although the potential for nuclear annihilation has been reduced with the end of the cold war, America still faces attacks by weapons of mass destruction. Since the United states now has a military edge over its old enemies, the concern for nuclear deterrence should take a back seat to providing protection against small terrorists attacks involving biological weapons. Biological weapons have a catastrophic killing potential and they are easy to make and conceal. American defensive measures, however should continue to upgrade to protect itself, and Britain.
By forming an international counter-terrorist task force, the world will be better prepared to defeat terrorism. WORKS CITED Grosscup, Beau. THE NEWEST EXPLOSIONS OF TERRORISM. Far Hills: New Horizons, 1998. Thornberry, Mac; Congressman.