I was at a security conference over the weekend and I came out with a belief that I think has merit.  How do we define weapon of mass destruction?  We always define it in terms of lives lost and indeed that is a very natural human thing to do.  But consider how hard it is for a terrorist to acquire one, bring it to North America, and use it.  They can make homemade bombs here and indeed that is a concern as the arrests in Toronto show.  However, biological weapons are largely ineffective given how hard they are to acquire and disperse in such a way to have an impact.  Chemical weapons also are hard to disperse and use to any great effect as we have seen in Japan.  Nuclear weapons are extremely hard to acquire/build and require tremendous effort and organization to get into place.  We have to ask ourselves first of all: do terrorist simply want to exterminate people or is it something else.  Terrorism isn't about mass murder, it is about fear and disruption.  As a result, I think we need a broader definition of WMDs just as we need a broader definition of war.

Electromagnetic pulse weapons.  The technology is commercially available an easy to acquire.  As I learned at this conference, it would take limited effort for a terrorist to acquire and use this technology and yet we do not mention it nor do we prepare against it.  This is not science fiction but today's reality.  In a society wholly dependent on computers and electricity, an EMP attack on New York City would have an extremely destructive impact on global commerce.  To me, this would seem to be one of the more likely tools of a terrorist.  It is destructive economically, disruptive to the western world, and would instill tremendous fear as people realize just how vulnerable we all are thanks to the nature of our society and the difficulty of defending against such a weapon.  It's time to address some of these possibilities.
 
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WAJ/2LT Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

Not to mention all those poor people with pacemakers.

But, Art, I think you're overanalyising this. The term "Terrorist" is quite obvious, they inspire terror/fear. You don't need any reasoning to determine that.
 
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DarkDragoons
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

FTL/SGT Garet Daimun/2SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"I don't need a plan. Plans are for scientists, and builders. I've got moxie... and guns."
-Jennifer Mui, Mercenaries

Oh please. Kim Jong Il doesn't have the stones to attack the US. We're like 50 times bigger than his country.
 
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DarkDragoons
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

FTL/SGT Garet Daimun/2SQD/1PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"I don't need a plan. Plans are for scientists, and builders. I've got moxie... and guns."
-Jennifer Mui, Mercenaries

yeah, kind of like the man who started this damn war or the man who started the vietnam war, or the idiots who started WWII, hitler being one of them.
 
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DarkDragoons

TRP/PFC Jennabelle/2SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/VEA/VE/Tadath

"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force. " -Darth Vader

Actually, its was the Agreement of Versialles. I know its not called that, but I can't remember what is is English.
My history is a bit rusty, but Jenny lemme try and explain this war to you quickly. Of course Art will throw in a correction or two

Anyhow. Austria started the First World war after their crown prince was killed. Germany was Austria's ally and etc. Germany ruled WW1 and when they lost it was agreed that Germany should never be allowed to become that strong again.

Germany was forced to shut down most of his military defences, and alot of other stuff(Can't remember evrything} that ruined Germany economically, and they also had to pay of all their war debt and damage.

This all happened in 1919 when the war ended if I am not correct, so of course when the great depression broke out it ruined them even further.

Hitler grew up with an abusive step-father, he wanted to study art, but his works was rejected and his went of to start a political carreer. He believed in dinamic leadership, and inspired the nation greatly with his promises of building Germany back to its former glories in the times Bismarck.

The failed German republic didn;t stand a chance against the Nazi party. Hitler simply wanted to free Germany from Agreement of Versialles. But then of course things got a bit out of hand.

What I dont get is how nobody knew about the Holocaust.:S


 
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- Raider Squad -

TRP/PFC Trix/3SQD/1PLT/1COMP/1BAT/Tadath/VEA/VE
'Life is like mail. You sometimes just don't get it'

Since you offered, I will throw in a few changes :P

I don't have time at the moment but I will argue that while Austria started a war, Russia actually started WWI.  I think I can make a fairly convincing case for that but that is for another day.

Secondly, I would dispute that Hitler just wanted to free Germany from Versailles.  That was certainly part of his policy but it is also clear that he had expansion in mind (I did a 25 page essay on Hitler's foreign policy if you want to read it; the paper deals with ideology, strategic considerations, and geopolitics).
 
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WAJ/2LT Corran "Arturus" Hargraves/M-SSD Atrus/VE/VEN/(=A=)(=SA=)(=*MA*=)(=JCPA=)(=SCPA=)[MC:1](x2)[SV][BRC][VC:B][LSM][LoC]


"The way of war is a way of deception. When able, feign inability; when deploying troops, appear not to be. When near, appear far; when far, appear near. Lure with bait; strike with chaos. If the enemy is full, be prepared. If strong, avoid him. If he is angry, disconcert him. If he is weak, stir him to pride. If he is relaxed, harry him; if his men are harmonious, split them. Attack where he is unprepared; appear where you are unexpected. This is victory in warfare; it cannot be divulged in advance. Victory belongs to the side that scores most in the temple calculations before battle. Most spells victory; least spells defeat; none, surer defeat. I see it in this way, and the outcome is apparent." -- Sun Tzu

"Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting." -- Sun Tzu

no it was called the treaty of versailles, I dont think you can officially call a treaty the peace treaty unless its universally binding (as in with those damn ufos )  also I looked up the causes of WW1 in wikipedia and it states that the immediate cause of WW1 was a group of Serb-Bosnians assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, the Germans sent an ultimatum which supposedly was outrageous, the Serbs who were allied with the Russians rejected the proposal knowing the Russians would come to their aid, Germany than declared war on the Serbs, Russians, and France......for some reason heres a list

July 28: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
July 29: Russia's treaties with Serbia commit it to mobilize against Austria-Hungary in Serbia's defense.
August 1; Germany declares war against Russia under the terms of the Dual Alliance with Austria-Hungary.
August 1: Germany, expecting that France will come in on the side of Russia, mobilizes against France.
August 1: France mobilizes against Germany under the terms of the Franco-Russian Alliance.
August 3: Germany declares war on France.
August 4: Germany invades Belgium. (The Schlieffen Plan for a war with Russia and France commits Germany to attacking France first, then turning against Russia when France is defeated. The roads of Belgium are needed for the German army to outflank the French.)
August 4: Britain declares war on Germany under the terms of the Treaty of London, 1839 which guarantees the neutrality of Belgium, and to support the Triple Entente.
With Britain's entry, the remainder of the British Imperial colonies and dominions are drawn in offering financial and military assistance. These were Australia, Canada, India, Newfoundland New Zealand and the Union of South Africa.
August 23: Japan, honouring the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, declares war on Germany.


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He will give them death, and they will love him for it -Gladiator

TRP/PFC_Rogueboy/1SQD/1PLT/COMP/1BAT/1RGT/VEA/VE [LoR]

Another intresting fact is that Russia and Japan never signed a peace treaty. That means that the countries are technically still at war.
 
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NazgulSquadron

FM/LCRW Atrick25/Nazgul-10/Phoenix Wing/[mSSD Artrus]/1VENF]/VEN/VE (=A=)
~Leading Crewman Atrick25~

Nerds stick together! (Until Football Players storm us, because then we run like the girly men we are!)

Why does Darth Vader want cookies?

Mykill, I'm expressing my opinion here: I think you're absolutely wrong. In morals and facts.
 
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Jester Squad
+ Advance Recon Commandos {ARC} +

SL/GSGT Garet Daimun/1SQD/2PLT/1COM/1RGT/1BAT/Tadath/VEA [ES2C]

"I don't need a plan. Plans are for scientists, and builders. I've got moxie... and guns."
-Jennifer Mui, Mercenaries

That was a random collection of history, sketchy facts, and fiction.
 
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NazgulSquadron

FM/LCRW Atrick25/Nazgul-10/Phoenix Wing/[mSSD Atrus]/1VENF]/VEN/VE (=A=)
~Leading Crewman Atrick25~

Nerds stick together! (Until Football Players storm us, because then we run like the girly men we are!)

Why does Darth Vader want cookies?

I'm not going to take the time to argue with that, Mykill.  Maybe someone else will, but I'm not going to waste my time.  I just hope that you didn't write that. 
 
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Raiders

War is cruelty. There's no use trying to reform it, the crueler it is the sooner it will be over.
--William Tecumseh Sherman--

I say the reason behind all of this is because of humanity's destructive and self destructive nature.  Since the dawn of time man has killed his fellow man.  There's always a reason, but there doesn't need to be a reason, which would make things a hell of a lot worse.  If people ran out of things to fight for, people would kill eachother for absolutely no reason.  Also, America needs war, I think this is proof of how corrupt a psuedo-morality-based capitalist nation is.  If there is no war for America to fight, there aren't people on the pro war side, and people on the anti war side will protest another war that isn't America's.  And in that case, people lose that same sense of national pride, so essentially, America not in a war is bad for business.  I have some pretty serious issues with the government as you can tell, but I have no beef with the soldiers who are off fighting, regardless of what the government is fighting for, the soldiers are fighting for the ideals that once held up this country.

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Private First Class D'har Leth
-=Wraith Squad=-
TRP/PFC D'har/4SQD/1PLT/1COM/1BAT/VEA/VE/

(BUY MORE URINAL CAKES)

D'HAR you are right to a certain extent.WE are the police of the world and I too am anti gov. BUT this whole  terrorrist thing is  a JIHAAD  Holy WAR
 
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"my soul was cast into the vastness of space for my fear of loneliness" Chronicles of Mykill Doomslayer bk III>chpt 6

Atrick I know I am new here, but why do you feel the need to DOG ME OUT EVERY CHANCE YOU GET. Yes England did occupy Oh,MY bad,all the middle East at the end of the war and parceled it out as THEY saw fit.How do you think Israel was created in 1949?DID they just go over ther and say here we are RESEARCH YOU STUFF MAN I KNOW WHAT I'MTALKING ABOUT TRUST ME.
 
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"my soul was cast into the vastness of space for my fear of loneliness" Chronicles of Mykill Doomslayer bk III>chpt 6

Okay maybe you got me on a Technicallity ther,but why would they even want to introduce Jews to a land that wasn't thiers for oh so many years and where they wer not welcome and WELCOME them I.K.A. giving them a homeland in the midst of INFIDEL, is the word you wanted 
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"my soul was cast into the vastness of space for my fear of loneliness" Chronicles of Mykill Doomslayer bk III>chpt 6