Much of the foreign policies evidenced today in the United States have to a great extent been influenced and shaped by the events of 9/11. It is this day that would impact on the future relations and priorities of the U. S government. Alliances were to shift and a redefinition of home security brought to the surface. The past decades have seen an increased upsurge of terrorist activities and tendencies aimed at the United States and its interests worldwide. This is not a phenomenon only prevalent in the United States; atrocities too have been meted out against remote countries in the developing world.
Kenya and Tanzania in the August of 1998 bore the blunt of terrorism in its full scale and perhaps got a taste of modern weaponry in its use, leading to a heavy carnage and property obliteration. These attacks were both aimed at Americans interest. The world still continues to reel and grapple with the after math of terrorism. Much effort is being concentrated on elimination of terrorism and upscale preparedness and response mechanisms rather than on the solution to the root cause of terrorism. Terrorism has become an enigma that had almost had been non-existent before.It is the 9/11 that aroused so much interest both scholarly and politically. The issue of terrorism still becomes hard to understand and too elusive to be contained.
Its spontaneity in terms of attack perhaps presents the worst headache to most governments today. The impregnability of the U. S was brought to question and so were the nations security apparatus capabilities. Never again in the U.
S history, had the nation been so vulnerable to the vulgarities of terrorism and offensiveness of modern welfare.With thousands dead, the insensitivity and viciousness of terrorists has over time sent shivers to the American citizenry. Of more concern however would be the modern developments in weaponry. The artillery is becoming more complicated and highly potent in its killing power. This coupled with the terrorist’s non-restraints in their application presents a far much worse headache.
How to deal with WMD terror attack is the main preoccupation with the U. S government’s officials at the moment. This will be our major concern.This paper seeks to assess how a significant weapons of mass destruction terror attack would be conducted against the U. S. In this assessment, the recent past terrorism events shall be looked at as well as how they have redefined terrorism and renewed fears of WMD attacks (Walter Laquer, 1999).
The various types of weapons of mass destruction will be explored as well as the possible targets. The proper definition of the term terrorism is as controversial as its activities. The definition varies depending on individual’s alignment and prevailing circumstances.To the individuals carrying out the heinous acts, terrorism is a form of self-determination and justified use of violence to further group’s righteous interests. To the victims and to the most western nations, terrorism is the employment of unconventional warfare meted against innocent people in the name of furthering a group’s ideological beliefs.
The term terrorism brings controversy from the fact that some groups have been branded as terrorists only later to be recognized for their self-deterministic efforts (Omar Malek 2000). One mans terrorists is another mans savior.History is ridden with cases where certain groups especially during the colonial era were branded terrorists while in the real sense were national fighters. Mau Mau from Kenya is one such group that was referred to as a terrorist organization during the British colonial rule and its member’s executed en masse. Nelson Mandela in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa was detained for years for allegedly leading terrorist activities against the apartheid regime.
Today, he is a celebrated role model revered across the world.
