Threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction to International Security (Essay Sample)

Case Study: Threats of Weapons of Mass Destruction to International Security
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The international security environment is dynamic and has changed over time and today governments are facing unconventional threats to security. Among the recent threats to international security, the worst are international terrorism and rise in the use of weapons of mass destruction. In my point of view, weapons of mass destruction pose a bigger threat to international security than terrorism. There was a time when weapons of mass destruction were only found in superpowers and did not pose any danger to humanity. However, today, more and more countries are seeking to acquire increased weapons of mass destruction capabilities. The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is aggravated by the fact that terrorist organizations are also seeking the same deadly weapons. The gravity of the danger posed by weapons of mass destruction in general cannot be understated. The term weapon of mass destruction refers to assortment of weapons which have the capability of causing large-scale destruction normally of indiscriminate impact on civilians. Weapons of mass destruction can be in the form of nuclear, radiological materials or biological and chemical warfare agents.
Although international cooperation is challenging and expensive, governments should do everything possible primarily focus on international coordination so that the threat of weapons of mass destruction is managed in the global arena. Internationals efforts should recognize that terrorist groups like Al Qaeda, Al Shabaab and the like are interested in acquiring such weapons (Aytaç & Kibaroğlu, 2009). International coordination will also ensure that terrorist do not come into possession of these deadly arsenals by timely identifying and neutralizing the various sources international terrorism can be financed, organized, distributed and used (Aytaç & Kibaroğlu, 2009). Through international cooperation, countries around the world can accede to treaties against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction hence effectively restrict the production and trafficking of components used to make weapons of mass destruction across territory.
Contemporary policymakers have a lot of lessons to learn from the Cuban Missile Crisis. First, although containment and antagonism worked at the time, they are not the best way to handle the threat of deplorable weapons of mass destruction today because these approaches make the contained nation feel endangered (Dobbs, 2008). This is a lesson to keep in mind when deliberating the best means of dealing with rising powers. America should prioritize diplomacy, trust and compromise when waking international de-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the rising powers such as Iran, Israel, Kor...