Instruments of Terror: Chemical Weapons and Why They Should Not Be Implemented in the Warzones of Today While reading the stimulus materials provided for us, I came across the article “The Secret Life of Plants” by Ferris Jabr. He spoke of how some plants and parasites are able to detect each other with chemicals. “And at least one parasitic plant homes in on its host’s telltale chemical scent” (Jabr, 48). When I read this article I thought of how the plants use chemicals offensively. I realized that humans do the same thing, using chemicals to harm others. We utilize chemical weapons in warfare, which is an incredibly controversial topic. And so, this article lead me to research chemical warfare. As I gathered my research, I realized that
…show more content…
These weapons were once the perfect weapon, preeminent to all other types. The mass production and deployment of these agents were able to arise due to the development of industrialized chemistry in the 19th century (Ganesan). The assimilation of this arsenal was very efficient in its early uses. “Chemical warfare came of age in the First World War, in many way the ideal environment for it to thrive—soldiers back then were sitting ducks, massed together in low-lying trenches, static targets for weeks or months at a time” (Robbins). However, as offense advances, defense develops soon after. By the end of World War 1, soldiers had already begun to wear masks and other protective measures in order to decrease and even neutralize the effects of the chemicals. Gerard J. Fitzgerald, postdoctoral researcher with New York University, announces in his article Chemical Warfare and Medical Response in World War 1 that “such an attack usually resulted in relatively few fatalities if troops were properly prepared and outfitted”. Chemical weapons were now only used as world international threats. The Cold War was an example of a near world catastrophe. “During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union both maintained enormous stockpiles of chemical weapons, amounting to tens of thousands of tonnes. The amount of chemical weapons held by these two countries was enough to destroy much of the human and animal life on Earth” (“History of CW Use”). Unfortunately, two rich world powers were utilizing chemical weapon resources at an international threat level. To accumulate that much firepower would bankrupt a much poorer country. More economically developed nations could use a much wider range of weapons with much more damage. Chemical weaponry is essentially only useful at this world threat stage. Because of this, chemical weapons were mostly used as tools for
These weapons were once the perfect weapon, preeminent to all other types. The mass production and deployment of these agents were able to arise due to the development of industrialized chemistry in the 19th century (Ganesan). The assimilation of this arsenal was very efficient in its early uses. “Chemical warfare came of age in the First World War, in many way the ideal environment for it to thrive—soldiers back then were sitting ducks, massed together in low-lying trenches, static targets for weeks or months at a time” (Robbins). However, as offense advances, defense develops soon after. By the end of World War 1, soldiers had already begun to wear masks and other protective measures in order to decrease and even neutralize the effects of the chemicals. Gerard J. Fitzgerald, postdoctoral researcher with New York University, announces in his article Chemical Warfare and Medical Response in World War 1 that “such an attack usually resulted in relatively few fatalities if troops were properly prepared and outfitted”. Chemical weapons were now only used as world international threats. The Cold War was an example of a near world catastrophe. “During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union both maintained enormous stockpiles of chemical weapons, amounting to tens of thousands of tonnes. The amount of chemical weapons held by these two countries was enough to destroy much of the human and animal life on Earth” (“History of CW Use”). Unfortunately, two rich world powers were utilizing chemical weapon resources at an international threat level. To accumulate that much firepower would bankrupt a much poorer country. More economically developed nations could use a much wider range of weapons with much more damage. Chemical weaponry is essentially only useful at this world threat stage. Because of this, chemical weapons were mostly used as tools for