Biological and nuclear weapons
Biological and nuclear weaponsMost people today believe that the world is a better place than it was 20 to 30 years ago. But I, on the other hand, believe that the world is becoming a very dangerous place. Even though the world's superpowers condemn nuclear and biological warfare, I believe that the next millennium will bring a war that will make them change their beliefs toward weapons of mass destruction.
There are many countries with these weapons. "For the past several years, U.S. government officials noted that there are at least ten countries known to have biological warfare programs." There are also another twelve countries that possess nuclear weapons. Other countries are seeking to develop such weapons. Some of these countries pay for the technological secrets or for the actual ingredients for these weapons. One such case is that of Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi, who "was so fixated by the dream of owning atomic bombs that he allegedly offered to pay India the equivalent of its national debt- nearly $18 billion for the technology." But India refused to sell Qaddafi its technology.
Some of the countries that are suspected of having biological warfare programs are unfriendly toward the U.S. Some of these countries are located in the Middle East and some are signatories to the Biological Weapons Convention. This 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, prohibited its signatories from possessing or employing such weapons. This possess a significant threat to the U.S. and all the other countries who hold grudges with the ones who have biological warfare programs.
Nations acquire biological programs because they view it as an "inexpensive route to acquisition of a weapon of mass destruction." Biological weapons are often called a "poor man's atomic bomb." Another reason why nations acquire these weapons is because they "desire to influence the political-military calculations of potential adversaries, and to scare enemy countries. They want the world to recognize them as a military power and that they can destroy an entire nation with their weapons.
These weapons are very destructive. The atomic bombs of today are about eight to forty times greater than the bomb detonated on Hiroshima. The Hiroshima blast killed between 70,000 to 100,000 people instantly. A biological agent can cause a similar amount of deaths; it all depends on how well the country is prepared to spot the spread of the germs, and how populated the area is.In third world nations, for example, the death toll could be greater because of the fact that they don't have the necessary medical equipment to stop the spread of germs and viruses.
These weapons are ready to be used at any time. With recent conflicts between Iraq and the U.S. & Britain, and also...
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