Terrorism, the use of violence, or the threat of violence, to create a climate of fear in a given population, violates our basic rights. Terrorist violence targets ethnic or religious groups, governments, political parties, corporations, and media enterprises. Factors that engage in acts of terror are almost always small in size and limited in resources compared to the populations and institutions they oppose. Through publicity and fear generated by their violence, they seek to magnify their influence and power to affect political change on either a local or international scale. The anthrax scares we are having are nothing new and have been a very instrumental tool for the terrorist.

A chemical or biological attack usually involves dispersing agents into the air. Because chemical and biological agents are seen as random, dangerous, and particularly cruel, inhumane weapons, they have rarely been used in wars. In the 20th century, chemicals were used extensively as battlefield weapon

s only in World War I (1914-1918) and the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). The release of the nerve agent saran in a Tokyo subway in 1995 was a rare terrorist chemical attack. Biological weapons are a unique class of weapons, a living organism. These biological agents represent a dangerous military threat because they are alive, and are therefore unpredictable and uncontrollable once released. Biological warfare agents include bacteria, viruses, and other living microorganisms that can kill or incapacitate. Since they can reproduce, biological agents have the unique potential to make an environment more dangerous over time. If used for hostile purposes, any disease-causing microorganism could be considered a weapon. For the purposes terrorism, specific characteristics of certain agents make them more likely to be used than others.

Some potential warfare agents can make their victims very sick without necessarily killing them. Examples include the microorganisms that cause tularemia, Q fever, and yellow fever. After suffering debilitating illness, victims of these diseases often recover, although not always. Other agents are more likely to be lethal. The bacteria that cause bubonic plague and the virus that causes smallpox can kill large numbers of untreated people. Early antibiotic treatment usually cures plague victims, and smallpox vaccinations before exposure to the virus can prevent the disease.

T

Some topics in this essay:
Iran-Iraq War, Human Rights, Genocide Convention, United Rajneesh, Tobacco Firearms, Security Council, , Nations UN, human rights, biological agents, World War, violence create climate, United Nations, world trade center, create climate, world trade, terrorism violence, violence create, united nations, climate fear, corporations media enterprises, create climate fear, media enterprises, corporations media, un established international,