[4] Italy used mustard agent against civilians and soldiers in Ethiopia in 1935–36. The USA is gradually destroying its stockpiles and is close to completing the process. Definitions", "US CODE: Title 18, § 2332a. All rights reserved. – Times Online, "The History and Science of CBRNE Agents, Part I", "US CODE: Title 50—War and National Defense", "US CODE: 50, ch. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Whereas protection with various degrees of efficiency is possible against … Notwithstanding widespread and enormous public protests against war, the resignation of several government ministers, and the support of some one-third of the…. This had been pointed out previously by the author [1] and discussed in considerable detail in ref. A chemical weapon uses chemicals created specifically to cause death or injury to humans. In a separate study published in 2005,[73] a group of researchers assessed the effects reports and retractions in the media had on people's memory regarding the search for WMD in Iraq during the 2003 Iraq War. The fear reached a crescendo with the 2002 Iraq disarmament crisis and the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that became the primary justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq; however, American forces found none in Iraq. In 1987 Libya used mustard munitions against rebels in Chad. Weapons of Mass Destruction This resource provides a list of states possessing, pursuing or capable of acquiring nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, and missile delivery systems as of 2000. [9], The term was also used in the introduction to the hugely influential U.S. government document known as NSC 68 written in 1950. P.O. (2) Poison gas. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s offhand remark that an attack could be avoided if Syria surrendered all its chemical weapons prompted Russian officials to arrange an agreement calling for Syria to place its chemical weapons stockpile under international control. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chemical WMD’s go back as early as 1000 BC, when the Chinese used arsenic smoke. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. They include mobilization of pro- and anti-WMD campaigners alike, and generation of popular political support. [78], Many news agencies, including Fox News, reported the conclusions of the CIA that, based upon the investigation of the Iraq Survey Group, WMDs are yet to be found in Iraq. [18], After the 11 September 2001 attacks and the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, an increased fear of nonconventional weapons and asymmetric warfare took hold in many countries. The fifth President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was internationally condemned for his use of chemical weapons during the 1980s campaign against Iranian and Kurdish civilians during and after the Iran–Iraq War. Putting enough radioactive material together creates a chain reaction, as each fission reaction causes multiple other reactions until all of the material is used up. [citation needed], Also in 1998, but after the UNM survey was conducted, nuclear weapons became an issue in India's election of March,[83] in relation to political tensions with neighboring Pakistan. In the First World War, mustard gas and other similar agents caused terrible effects, including lung damage, severe pain, blindness, and death. Chemical weapons use agents like nerve gas and tear gas to cause harm or death to humans. [citation needed], Later, United States' President George W. Bush used the threat of potential WMD in Iraq as justification for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. According to David Kay, who appeared before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee to discuss these badly corroded munitions, they were leftovers, many years old, improperly stored or destroyed by the Iraqis. They can also be asked to pay a maximum fine of $250,000. [6] The phrase found its way into the very first resolution the United Nations General assembly adopted in January 1946 in London, which used the wording "the elimination from national armaments of atomic weapons and of all other weapons adaptable to mass destruction. Not every state listed here is actively pursuing or proliferating WMD systems, nor is the list necessarily complete. Announcing our NEW encyclopedia for Kids! Produce in a single moment an enormous destructive effect capable to kill millions of civilians, jeopardize the natural environment, and fundamentally alter the lives of future generations through their catastrophic effects; Cause death or serious injury of people through toxic or poisonous chemicals; Disseminate disease-causing organisms or toxins to harm or kill humans, animals or plants; Deliver nuclear explosive devices, chemical, biological or toxin agents to use them for hostile purposes or in armed conflict. Altogether, the warring states employed more than two dozen different chemical agents during World War I, including mustard gas, which caused perhaps as many as 90 percent of all chemical casualties (though very few of these casualties were fatal) from that conflict. A larger release of chemical agents took place in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21, 2013, killing several hundred people. For example, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, one of the perpetrators of the Boston Marathon bombing, was charged under United States law 18 U.S.C. [51], The Washington Post reported on 30 March 2006: "Jurors asked the judge in the death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui today to define the term 'weapons of mass destruction' and were told it includes airplanes used as missiles". Types of chemical weapons include blister agents, blood agents, choking hazard agents, nerve agents, tear gas, vomiting agents and psychiatric compounds. At the time, it was rendered as magenta, and was set on a blue background. Treaties may regulate weapons use under the customs of war (Hague Conventions, Geneva Protocol), ban specific types of weapons (Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological Weapons Convention), limit weapons research (Partial Test Ban Treaty, Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty), limit allowable weapons stockpiles and delivery systems (START I, SORT) or regulate civilian use of weapon precursors (Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological Weapons Convention). Iraq also used chemical weapons (thought to be hydrogen cyanide, sarin, or sulfur mustard gas) against Iraqi Kurds who were considered unfriendly to the regime of Saddam Hussein. Nuclear weapons create huge explosions by a process called nuclear fission, where large atoms are broken down into smaller ones. The 1925 Geneva Protocol made it illegal to employ chemical or biological weapons, though the ban extended only to those who signed the treaty. A variety of treaties and agreements have been enacted to regulate the use, development and possession of various types of weapons of mass destruction.Treaties may regulate weapons use under the customs of war (Hague Conventions, Geneva Protocol), ban specific types of weapons (Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological Weapons Convention), limit weapons research (Partial Test Ban Treaty, … [66] The claim that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) was a major factor that led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by Coalition forces. Modern weapons of mass destruction are either nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons—frequently referred to collectively as NBC weapons. exploring the relationship between "weapons of mass destruction".". U.S. soldiers using gas equipment and receiving telephone instructions during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, Varennes-en-Argonne, France, 1918. Dependence on the initial source of information led to a substantial minority of Americans exhibiting false memory that WMD were indeed discovered, while they were not. T o this end, the GP’s Chemical Security Working Group (CSWG) has adopted and is implementing a Strategic Vision that aims to mitigate all manner of threats posed by chemical weapons, including state-based …

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