Weapons of Mass Destruction

Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Weapons of Mass Destruction
According to Carus (2012), Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) refer to any weapon that can inflict destruction on a substantial capacity. These weapons are capable of destroying both natural and manufactured structures and causing considerable harm to humans. Such a weapon, in the control of a hostile power, is termed as a significant threat. A hostile nation or terrorists could use them to inflict mass casualties and render important assets useless (Okoro & Oluka, 2019). WMD falls under three major categories; nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons.
Through Executive Order 12938, foreign persons that the Secretary of State has banned because of their involvement in WMD activities are prohibited from importing products, services, or technology from the U.S. that can assist them in the multiplication of WMD. The order came into effect in November 1994 when President Clinton declared a national emergency concerning the proliferation of WMD, including their means of delivering them (U.S. Department of State, 2021). The order has been amended twice to make it more operational in fighting the spread of WMD.
Succeeding presidents, to protect U.S. security, have extended the order. For instance, President Obama extended the order that recognized the spread of WMD as a national emergency (The White House, 2012). The U.S. leads efforts multilaterally with other countries to inhibit the spread of such weapons. The sanction applies to foreign persons who knowingly and materially aid any country or project in producing or acquiring WMD. No U.S. department or agency may enter into any contract with such an individual. Through the Secretary of the Treasury, the government shall prohibit importing into the country by such foreign individuals. In the case where the Secretary of State determines that a foreign person has ceased activities related to WMD, the sections may be terminated.
Non-proliferation refers to the activities used to deter both state and non-state actors from getting WMD (Mauroni, 2019). In other words, the aim is to deter actors from acquiring or developing WMD. It is achieved through the creation of treaties, international conventions, and appropriate legislation. An example is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of 1970. In this treaty, five members are categorized as nuclear-weapon states, with about 190 member nations as non-nuclear-weapon states. While the former has agreed to undertake nuclear disarmament, the latter is not to acquire nuclear explosives.
While counter-proliferation is closely related to non-proliferation, it denotes the strategies employed after proliferation has occurred. Counter-proliferation aims to coerce the actors to surrender the unconventional weapons. While non-proliferation approaches have been successful, given that few states have acquired WMD since the enactment of NPT, the methods are not enough. Counter-proliferation aims at forestalling, eliminating the proliferation of unconventional military weapons, and preventing actors from realizing any benefit from owning WMD (Anderson, Devine & Gibbons, 2014). Where proliferation occurs, coun...