Weapons of mass destruction

Weapons of Mass Destruction or WMD can consist of stockpiles, production facilities, or the human knowhow to manufacture weapons designed to kill a large number of people. WMD begins with reseach and development among persons with higly specialized scientific and technical training. This requires a location and resources to employ such persons with knowhow to build production facilities of WMD. Once a location, resources, knowhow and production facilities are employed, stockpiles can be built.

Overall it is important to remember that knowhow, production facilities, and stockpiles of Weapons of Mass Destruction held by appropriate forces such as NATO can be beneficial to the balance of world order. Whereas with a rogue dictator such as the late Saddam Hussein it would be inappropriate to possess the knowhow to create and stockpile nuclear weapons, a more stable state that does not threaten international order should be able retain the control of Weapons of Mass Destruction peacefully.

Knowhow is the most dangerous aspect of WMD in today's world; persons who recieve classroom training in these specialized techniques can travel anywhere in the world where location and resources may be available to produce WMD. Also, communicating the knowhow, a potentially lethal weapon to large numbers of people, is largely unregulated in some parts of the world. There are United Nations Treaties which have attempted to regulate the spread of knowhow throughout the world, but it is still possible for a person with knowhow to communicate their knowledge how to manufacture WMD to anyone, without the signatory of the International agreements who holds thier place of citizenship knowing of the illegal transfer or being able to stop it.

The International scientific community of technicians with knowledge to teach and manufacture weapons of mass destructions likewise consist of independent persons, some with no national loyalties to the nations who have signed International agreements barring the spread of WMD, i.e. the knowhow, potential "duel use" technologies, or the end manufactured result. A young person trained today, be it in a NATO country or an al-Qaeda training camp, in the methods of producing stockpiles of WMD, has an entire lifespan to communicate his knowledge to whomsoever he pleases. And a persons political or ideologial views can change of a lifetime. In the old Soviet system, scientists were often retired to special Gulags apart from the rest of society, so as there would be no chance they can reveal the potential lethal knowhow to unauthorized persons.

One of the most troubling aspects of the War on Terror is understanding that scientific knowledge itself has become a weapon in the hands of dangerous persons against innocent people. It was the knowhow to fly a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet that what most people regard as civilian transport into the duel use technolgy of manned missile attack.

In times of crisis, the habit has been to call upon our best, brightest and most talented individuals to find solutions. This ghas usually in the past meant scientists and technicians; now we have discovered in the War on Terror knowledge itself has become a dangerous thing, and new gadgets and technology cannot defeat terrorist cells who do not wear the easily identifiable uniforms as is custom throughout Western world. In fact, we've discoverd past scientific and technical solutions in warfare now threaten the civil populations of the nations that discovered and built them. Knowledge indeed is a weapon.