Changes
weapon groups inaccurately referred to as "weapons of mass destruction"
A basic and deliberately limited definition for the term '''weapons of mass destruction''', also known as '''WMD''', comes from the [[National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction]] of 2002:
"Weapons of mass destruction (WMD)--nuclear, biological, and chemical*Napalm--in the possession of hostile states and terrorists represent one of the greatest security challenges facing the United States." Also included in this category are missiles capable of reaching both the United States and U.S. interests abroad.
This limited "NBC" definition also occurs in other official and quasi-official projects such as the [[Nuclear Threat Initiative]]. However this focus may be a [[distraction]], similar to the notion of [[cyberterror]] or [[cyberwar]], intended to move attention away from several facts that are rarely or never mentioned by any official American document:
*Various US think tanks, e.g. [[Foresight Institute]], and corporations, e.g. [[Zyvex]], and even some nonprofit 'charities', e.g. [[Singularity Institute]], are actively researching these technologies and effectively promoting them - they have been successful in achieving vast investments from the US [[military-industrial complex]], e.g. the [[National Nanotechnology Initiative]] funded under the [[Clinton Administration]]. By contrast the Chinese initiatives in this area have been mostly privately funded with medical or materials objectives.
The following two weapon groups are inaccurately referred to as "weapons of mass destruction":
*[http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/12/us-iraq-press.htm Cluster Munitions][http://usatoday.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=USATODAY.com+-+Cluster+bombs+kill+in+Iraq%2C+even+after+shooting+ends&expire=&urlID=8502158&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Firaq%2F2003-12-10-cluster-bomb-cover_x.htm&partnerID=1660]
*[[Depleted Uranium]] munitions
However, this is misleading; While they are undeniably heinous and INDISCRIMINATE weapons this classification exaggerates their effect and downplays the effect of WMD as defined above (nuclear, biological, and chemical). Clusterbombs, much like landmines work rather individually and not on "masses".
DU penetrators are much like dirty bombs. Dirty bombs are referred to as "weapons of mass disruption" in nuclear science circles and emergency preparedness literature. It would be more accurate to use this term for DU weapons. Hence we should start a new page.
== Other Related SourceWatch Resources ==