Terrorism has evolved, with terrorists coming up with new ways to cause harm to the general public. Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), as the name suggests, are used to bring harm to a large number of people (DHS, 2022). These weapons can be in many forms, either chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear. However, the military also uses these weapons in warfare, but the effects can still be as catastrophic as those of terrorism.
Nuclear weapons refer to explosive devices that obtain their destructive power from nuclear reactions. These weapons release an immense amount of energy through either nuclear fission, which refers to atomic nuclei splitting or nuclear fusion, which is the joining of atomic nuclei. Nuclear weapons can further be categorized into two types: atomic bombs, which are fission-based and hydrogen bombs, which are fusion-based. Nuclear weapons can be delivered via ballistic missiles or aircraft, or sometimes they can be detonated at ground level. Atomic weapons are ranked among the most powerful and destructive devices man has created. Atomic bombs, also called fission bombs, depend on nuclear fission reactions to release energy. They mainly contain fissile materials like uranium-235 or plutonium-239. The chain reactions can release enormous amounts of energy, producing powerful explosions. The use of such bombs was witnessed in World War II when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed. Hydrogen bombs, on the other hand, are even more powerful than atomic bombs. They are also referred to as thermonuclear or fusion bombs. They use a two-stage process whereby a fission reaction triggers a fusion reaction. Hydrogen bombs use hydrogen isotopes, mostly deuterium and tritium.
The launching of nuclear strikes in World War II warfare by a nation-state raised significant ethical and political questions about the use of such a deadly weapon. The political ramifications included the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the establishment of agreements aimed at controlling the use of arms and the concept of mutually assured destruction as a curbing strategy. The employment of nuclear arms by the nation-state was the base of the nuclear armaments race that arose between it and Russia in the course of the Cold War (Blakemore, 2020). Atomic armaments were rapidly developed and tested, each aiming for a more powerful weapon, leading to the abundance of these devices; soon after, countries like the United Kingdom, China and even France followed. There was the declaration of first use policies, which outlined under what circumstances a state would consider using nuclear weapons first. The approach was politically sensitive and could impact international perceptions of a state’s intentions. When forming alliances and defence agreements, countries are influenced by the presence of nuclear weapons. For instance, some countries are under extended deterrence guarantees provided by nuclear-armed allies, affecting their security policies.
Due to the increased number of nuclear arms, weapons control and non-proliferation agreements had to be established to control and reduce the number of these devices. The Treaty Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), set in 1970, sought to limit the number of developed nuclear arms and promote disarmament (United Nations, 2022). It categorized states according to their interaction with nuclear weapons, which were Nuclear Weapon States (NWS), and that had no links with nuclear weapons were termed Non-Nuclear Weapon States (NNWS). The Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) targeted to reduce the amount of strategic nuclear armaments in Russia and the United States arsenal. This treaty was enforced by the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Other treaties include the New START Treaty, established in 2010 and an extension of the START treaty, which superpowers signed to show their commitment towards reducing deployed strategic nuclear weapons. Russia and the United States signed it. There was also the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty that was aimed at preventing the testing of new atomic arms. In the concept of mutually assured destruction (MAD), which developed during the Cold War, each party understood that the employment of nuclear armaments would result in similar or even worse consequences on their side, therefore limiting their use. Nuclear weapons coming into the picture fundamentally changed the nature of warfare. Their immense destructive power and the concept of MAD made large-scale conventional warfare between superpowers less likely. In the Cold War, warfare tactic was often characterized by superpowers not directly being involved in war but getting others to act on their behalf and espionage.
References
Blakemore, E. (2020, July 15). How the advent of nuclear weapons changed the course of history. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/how-advent-nuclear-weapons-changed-history
DHS. (2022, November 1). Weapons of Mass Destruction | Homeland Security. Www.dhs.gov. https://www.dhs.gov/topics/weapons-mass-destruction
United Nations. (2022). Disarmament | United Nations. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/disarmament
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