Chemical Weapons And The Use Of Chemical Weapons

Poison Gas/Chemical Warfare usage, while not harming physical structures preventing the collateral damage of homes and buildings, causes a high casualty rate in all living things. It is indescriminate and robs life equally be they related or not to a target of military or strategic importance. Gas usage has been widely considered uncivilized, but the French resorted to its usage in August, 1914 during the first World War in an attempt to rout the Germans. Unfortunately, the Germans were the first to give gas warfare serious development and it became used extensively before the war was over. On the battlefield it prooved effective in eliminating hostile threats in an inhumane way, but this does not make it morally acceptable. In more recent times ISIS has been reported to using Poison Gas in Syria against both military and civilians in an indescriminate manner. This sort of attack ignores international laws as well as inhumanely cause widespread harm. In this day and age, this sort of attack is unnecessary and is why it was outlawed in the first place even back during the first World War.

Armies started to use gas in WWI. Two of the most common gases were chlorine and mustard. Many were killed using these gases. Chemical weapons were extremely effective during WWI. By the end of WWI, 1,250,000 gas casualties occurred. Of these, 91,000 were fatalities. Chemical technology continued to be used in WWII, which killed even more. It killed so many people that chemical war was banned and considered inhumane. In 1968, the Chemical Warfare Convention occurred, banning the use of gas and stockpiling chemical weapons. Even though they were banned, the early ideas of gas technology and chemical warfare were advanced and were recently used in the Middle East. Chemical weapons were used by the Syrian government against the Syrian population. This presents another example of the impact of WWI technology on modern times. Despite being widely recognized as horrific, efficient chemical weapons remain a temptation to some governments

I believe that the use of Chemical weapons by groups such as Aum Shinrikyo and the Iraqi government in the late 1980's has had a huge impact on the United States' counter terrorism preparedness. The United States has continued to make improvements to our WMD defense programs ever since the first use of chemical weapons, specifically Chlorine and Phosgene gasses, during WWI. The U.S. continued to improve its defense at that point by designing masks that were able to counter such weapons. As times have changed and evolved, so has the defense programs and equipment of our country. Since the use of chemical weapons by groups like Aum Shinrikyo and the Iraqi Government you can see even the smallest the changes in our defense, such as with the

Some groups who use chemical and biological weapons is the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq or ISIS and other terrorist groups have carried out attacks in the middle east. According to the Syrian government the

The Germans marked an epoch with chemical warfare during World War I. The horror that opposing countries experienced when being exposed to the merciless gas forced them to begin to concoct their own weapons, so they could compete with the Germans and their allies. David Cook, author of Chemical Warfare: World War I, explains the purpose of chemical weapons during the war was to cause enemy casualties, enfeeble the opposing troops’ ability to retaliate, briefly block the land that they are no longer able to defend in order to escape, and create chaos in the enemy’s lines. Chemical warfare allowed attackers using this weapon to have a major advantage over their enemies, resulting in the successful execution of missions and casualties with its toxicity. The strength and versatility was not the only cause of chaos during the introduction of chemical weapons by the Germans during World War I; twenty-six countries had made an agreement previous to the war to prohibit the use of asphyxiating or deleterious gases (“Hague Peace Conferences (1899 and

Why did the United States introduce chemical weapons and defoliant agents into the Vietnam War?

The first World war chemical weapons were used then outlawed for combat. “Unlike when the U.S. was the only nuclear power and first used the technology against Japan without fear of reciprocation” ( The Ch.1 The Dangers). As a country we didn’t know the effects of a bomb on a living city, but now we know the consequences. Now what

LRN has designed a structure for response to chemical terrorism events. The LRN is categorized into three levels of activities: Level I, II and III. NHPHL is classified as a Level II laboratory. These levels signify the abilities and tasks for the laboratories a chemical terrorism response. [30]

The modern use of chemical weapons has been used since World War I. By using poisonous gas to inflict suffering and significant casualties. For example, chlorine, phosgene, and mustard gas were used to inflict burns on the skin or as a choking agent. Since the time of World War I, chemical weapons have impacted more than a million deaths. But, there are weapons of mass destruction in place used by terrorists. Weapons of mass destruction include Nuclear, biological, radiological, and explosives. One weapon of mass destruction can destroy a whole city, killing millions and clearing all future generations by using a Nuclear weapon; the most dangerous weapon on earth. Even though, nuclear weapons have been only used twice in warfare of Hiroshima

On April 22, in the Second Battle of Ypres, in World War 1 (WWI), the first chemical weapon was used. After over 101 years of this dilemma, the world has yet to find a solution for the pressing issue of chemical weapons as a threat to international security. Chemical weapons are highly toxic and are made to expose radiation and consequently kill living organisms. There are many types of these deadly gases, hence many different effects on people. These include brain damage, skin rashes/damage, and asphyxiation. After WWI, the Geneva Protocol was created in 1925; this banned the use of chemical weapons in any conflict. It was signed by most of the countries with the resources to create such weapons, but not all countries signed it. Later, in 1993, the Chemical Weapon Convention (CWC), also called the Convention on the

Recently, in August of 2013, the Sarin gas was used yet again by the Syrian government.

As early is 2013 the deadly gas has been used in Damascus and Khan al-Assal attacks. This is a terrible reminder that chemicals such as sarin are still be developed to be used as weapons. According to Sullivan "U.S. has obtained fresh evidence that sarin nerve gas was used in an attack and that taking military action against the government of President Bashar al Assad is needed (2013, para 1). This attack did spark outrage from the U.S. and other countries but no military response occurred against

During the civil war that broke out in Syria between the Syrian Government under the Assad Regime and the various rebel groups each backed by differing allies, fatalities have been common with firefights often erupting between the groups. However, the most terrifying weapon that has arisen from the fighting was the resurrection of the long prohibited use chemical weapons. In an article by Anthony Deutsch of Reuters it states “The findings provide the first official confirmation of use of sulfur mustard, commonly known as mustard gas, in Syria since it agreed to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile, which included sulfur mustard… Syria is supposed to have completely surrendered the toxic chemicals 18 months ago. Their use violates U.N. Security Council resolutions and the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.” Similarly, in an article comparing the use of chemical weapons to conventional

The first criterion that needs to be met is following the weapons prohibition, chemical or biological weapons are not allowed to be used as a force against the enemy or civilians. With this being said innocent civilians should not be harmed intentionally.

John Sununu once said and I quote, ”When we’re talking about technology that involves weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, there has to be an element of preemption”. Chemical weapons are being fought by chemical weapons convention (CWC), but what is CWC? When some people hear “chemical weapons convention” they might get the wrong idea in their head. They might think of something more along the lines of a gathering where they would show their latest models of their chemical weapon products. But in this case that’s not exactly what it is. Chemical weapons convention is actually an arms control treaty which outlaws the production, stockpiling,