New push for chemical weapons
The Reagan Administration's desire to produce new chemical weapons has stirred controversy on both sides of the Atlantic. In Europe, seven NATO members recently declared that they will never permit shipments of chemical weapons to US forces on their territory, and six others have placed conditions on such shipments. In the US, the Senate voted narrowly in August to authorize production of binary nerve gas to begin on October 1, and a week later the House voted just as narrowly to delay production. The controversy will not end soon, regardless of any compromise reached by the House and Senate, because it touches on US relations with its allies, the Soviet Union, and international negotiations for a global ban on chemical weapons. Negotiations for such a ban have been conducted by the 40-nation Conference on Disarmament in Geneva since 1968. At the heart of the issue lies the notion of chemical deterrence, the disputed theory that nations need chemical weapons to deter their use by other nations. Ways in which chemical deterrence differs from nuclear deterrence are discussed.
- Research Organization:
- Feldman, Waldman and Kline, San Francisco, CA
- OSTI ID:
- 6455386
- Journal Information:
- Bull. At. Sci.; (United States), Journal Name: Bull. At. Sci.; (United States) Vol. 42:9; ISSN BASIA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
ARMS CONTROL
ASIA
CHEMICAL WARFARE AGENTS
EASTERN EUROPE
EUROPE
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NATO
NORTH AMERICA
USA
USSR
WEAPONS