Psychology of Use of Weapon of Mass Destruction

Psychology of Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Psychology of Use of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are chemical, nuclear, or biological weapons that can cause massive loss of lives or property destruction. “Weapons of Mass Destruction and Modern Terrorism: Implications for Global Security” by Nduka Lucas Oluka and Ike Okoro indicates that the most significant threat that humanity encounters today is the use of WMD and terrorism. According to the Homeland Security Information Act 1366 (HSIA, 2003), WMD entails any biological, radioactive, explosive, or chemical agent or device that can cause extensive damage to properties, injuries to individuals, and death to numerous people in a single or series of acts. Well-known terrorist groups, such as Boko Haram, Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), can acquire WMD and use them like in the case of the Syrian sarin gas attack in 1995. During the September 11, 2001 attacks, al-Qaeda used passenger airplanes as WMD, killing over 3,000 people (Okoro & Oluka, 2019). The effects of WMD are catastrophic, and a weapon the size of an apple can destroy multiple properties and cause the death of many people within seconds. The article review portrays the psychology of use and danger of WMD, particularly when they get into the wrong hands of terrorist groups.
The Purpose of the Article
The article shows the psychological impacts of WMD when they are acquired by organized terrorist organizations, such as the Taliban, ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram. One similar objective among all these terrorist groups is that they want to have deadly weapons to instill fear or intimidate the United States of America’s (USA) government, other countries, and corporations (O’Donohue, 2017). In that light, terrorists can do anything to acquire WMD to sabotage resources and request favors from the government as they deem fit. Okoro and Oluka depict that WMD can cause significant damages to properties and loss of lives. For instance, Aum Shinrikyo, a Japan-based religious movement, used a colorless, odorless, and highly toxic gas, sarin, in Tokyo subway in 1995 to kill 13 people and cause respiratory injuries to more than 5,500 individuals (Okoro & Oluka, 2019). Terrorist groups use WMD to foster radical approaches and engage in unwholesome actions on their targets. As such, the international community, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), and the Intelligence Community must stay on the lookout to ensure that renowned terrorist groups do not have access to WMD since they can use them for their selfish gains. One of the primary aims of the article is to show the challenges WMD can pose to the public if it gets into the hands of terrorist groups. The second objective is to examine appropriate measures that can be adopted to ensure that terrorists do not acquire WMD to undermine national security. In particular, every terrorist group wants to be feared the most, and the only way to achieve that is by acquiring WMD. If ISIS can acquire nuclear weapons, it can make powerful governments like the USA obey their ...