Weapons of Mass Destruction

Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) are designed to kill large numbers of people at a single blow. Military usefulness is limited because their widespread destructiveness is likely to trigger extreme responses. They were once known as ‘NBC weapons’ the letters refer to nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. Later radiological weapons were included and the collective arsenal was then called WMDs. Now WMDs include potential weapons, based on new technologies that have potentials for mass destruction, such as genetics, proteomics, artificial intelligence, and robotics. WMD treaties have weaknesses and ambiguity because of three factors: blurred boundary between chemical and biological weapons; spread of ‘dual use’ technology, such as game technology; and recent technological advances, such as DNA-sequencing, genetic engineering, and nanotechnology. This absence of clear precise treaties has induced arguments among states that think there is a moral duty to strike first and disable any state or entity deemed to be developing such weapons; and those that think they have a right to develop WMDs for ‘self defense’ – the Iraq standoff.