Weapons of mass destruction are devices that are capable of killing and destroying a multitude of people, nature, the biosphere, and human-made structures like buildings and cities. There are five major categories namely: Nuclear, Biological, Chemical and Radiological, and Explosive (CBRNE) weapons. The likelihood of an attack is still relatively high as it has occurred in the past and will most likely happen again. This could be done by a terrorist group, crime operation or even a solo actor. The good news, however, is that it is unlikely to be of a larger magnitude than seen in the past owing to the difficulty of creating such weapons or acquiring them and transferring them. With that said, even a small attack would have an immense effect on Americans psychologically ( Schweitzer et al., 1998) . The majority of such a threat stems from a lone wolf with access to bits of materials for a small but very effective attack, more so on the psyche of Americans. Biological/ Bioterrorism is the use of biological elements to intentionally cause illness or even death of plants animals and human beings. These could be a myriad of agents from bacteria, fungi, toxins or viruses that either occur naturally or are human-made/ human-modified. Most of these agents are usually available naturally, but they may be modified in a laboratory to boost resistance and their ability to spread into the environment. These agents can be spread using air, water, or even food and their efficiency is in the fact that they are hard to detect; thus, the effects are delayed for more ground coverage ( Gurr & Cole, 2002) . It is a preferred method because it is cheap and easy to produce, easier to disseminate, and very effective and widespread effects. In most cases, it is a non-discriminatory form of terrorism, except in scenarios pre-planned with the general friendly population to the terrorist, but very effective in creating massive and widespread panic attacks. Examples of such would be during World War 1 when Germany launched an attack on France, Romania, Russia, and the United States. Another kind of weapon is chemical warfare, where toxic chemicals mostly manufactured in laboratories and can cause death, injury, incapacitation or sensory irritation are deployed to the public. These were, however, the first to be outlawed after World War 1 as they involved too many civilian casualties owing to the difficulty in containing these substances. Primary forms of these weapons include nerve agents, blister agents, choking agents, and blood agents. Nerve agents are the most dangerous, and they are usually in a liquid or gaseous state. The method of transfer is either through the skin or inhalation where they attack the respiratory or cardiovascular systems by damaging the nervous system and eventually causing death. Blister agents possess the same form as their nerve counterparts and are therefore administered the same way. They cause severe burns and blisters on either the skin or the internal organs if inhaled or ingested. Choking agents on the other hand, mostly exist in a gaseous state and attack the respiratory system usually causing failure. Lastly, blood agents interfere with the functions of blood to transfer oxygen in the bloodstream. They are mostly also inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream thus delaying the effects in most cases. Most of these weapons are usually transported first to their respective targets and then disseminated and dispersed ( Gurr & Cole, 2002) . Methods such as airdropping, unmanned vehicles, missiles, among others, are used. Examples would also be in World War 1, where Germany again used chlorine in Belgium. The main difference between chemical and biological agents is that chemical agents are more immediate than their biological counterparts. Nuclear weapons pose the greatest threat among all the others. These are devices designed to release energy explosively by nuclear fission or fusion or a combination of both. Fission ones are called atomic bombs, while fusion is called thermonuclear/ hydrogen bombs. These devices release energy in kilotons and megatons, producing shockwaves, immense heat, and very lethal ionizing radiation that can spread very far, drawing dust and debris, creating the infamous mushroom that is the signature of a nuclear bomb. Perfect examples of these are Hiroshima and Nagasaki whose death toll, injuries, and illnesses were of the largest scale ever seen. This lead to treaties signed to curb the use of nuclear weapons potentially. They are mostly delivered by ballistic missiles containing the warheads into enemy territory ( Schweitzer et al., 1998) . They are by far the most effective weapons, and they create a lot of fear in people, but there is a plus side to them. They are very expensive to make for one and require high levels of knowledge and skills. The materials and technology used to make them are also very hard to acquire. Radiological weapons or “dirty bombs” are made by combining radioactive material with conventional explosives to have a wider area of coverage. These cannot, however, match the extent of damage nuclear warheads have. They do cause both long term and short term effects when deployed as the area needs to be evacuated and cleaned up by demolishing even buildings and removing the debris, which doesn’t even guarantee the safety of the area ( Schweitzer et al., 1998) . Often these areas have to be quarantined for years to meet health standards and be safe from harmful radioactive rays that may cause damage. Radioactive materials are expensive and not very common or easy to acquire and, therefore not preferred as a choice for a weapon by terrorists. They are more or less like atomic bombs as Hiroshima and Nagasaki were radioactive. Explosive weapons are explosives used in conjunction with some of the other weapons for improved effectiveness. The more likely option to be used by terrorists, however, would be biological weapons as they are easy to make and deploy; plus, the materials are easily available and in most cases, don’t raise eyebrows. In conclusion, weapons of mass destruction are evils we must cope with and be prepared to handle. Abolition of the use of weapons of mass destruction helped create a ceasefire, but countries continue to develop these weapons, and it is still unclear how long this peace will last. It is generally harder to have such attacks now, but there is still a possibility that calls each one of us to be alert as the threat grows more dangerous each passing day.
References.
Schweitzer, G. E., Dorsch, C. C., Schweitzer, G. E., & Dorsch, C. C. (1998). Superterrorism:
Assassins, mobsters, and weapons of mass destruction . New York: Plenum Trade.
Gurr, N., & Cole, B. (2002). The new face of terrorism: Threats from weapons of mass destruction .
IB Tauris.
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