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The world is not safe any more
By Melson Chun
During the Cold War between American and the former Soviet union, it was said that the chief reason why both countries did not engage in full scale war was due to a clause known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), the fact that both these countries had considerable arsenals of nuclear weaponry which would assuredly annihilate both these countries if full-sale war were to be declared. Based on this deterrent, no actual war was fought other than that of philosophy and many lives were spared. This incident does make one wonder “Is he world safe any more?” I feel to a large extent that the world is not safe any more. I shall support my view by discussing aspects of terrorism, biotechnology and nuclear proliferation. But first, let us look at why others think that the world is safe place to be in. Some believe that the world is safe due to the presence of global peacekeeping forces like the United Nations. In the past, when a country was invaded, unless the beseiged country could fend off her foes by herself, she would undoubtedly be annexed with no hope of other nations helping, unless she had allies of course. But now, with the presence of the United Nations and other peacekeeping organisations the world is made safer as countries are protected by such peacekeeping forces via military and economic sanctions. For example, it was the United Nations that fought against Milosevic in Belgrade when he wished to carry out racial cleansing. Those who were saved by such an nation would definitely agree that because of the presence of such forces, the world is still a safe place. Another reason why some think that the world is a safe place is due to medial breakthroughs. In the past, even catching the common cold was dangerous, exemplified by the time where hundreds upon thousands were killed by the flu epidemic that swept across London in early 19th century. But now, with medical breakthroughs, vaccines and medications have been developed to combat such illnesses. This was illustrated when Edward Jenner developed the smallpox vaccine from a cowpox strain. This vaccine helped save many lives and this was due to the developments in medicine. Hence, some believe that the world s safe as they are not as vulnerable to diseases as before. On the other hand, I believe that the world is not safe any more. This is due to the presence of terrorism in the world today. In the past, the concept of terrorism was a relatively foreign one, ideological differences were settled in either declared wars like Constantine in his conquest of Jerusalem or over the negotiation table. Enter the current age, where terrorism has become so commonplace that one no longer flinches when one hears of suicide bombers in Pakistan or mail bombs in France. I feel that the world is no longer safe due to the presence of these forces. In our world now where we may be bombed to oblivion by explosives or poisoned by nerve gas like in Tokyo where a cult released sarin, a nerve agent on a subway, killing many and injuring thousands, how can one feel safe in the world any more? This can be further illustrated by the recent terrorist attacks on the USA by Osama Bin Laden. Two hijacked planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, collapsing the tower and murdering thousands. With the presence of bio-weaponry, terrorism is now an even grater force to be reckoned with. If a nerve agent like VX were released over a city by a crop duster for example, no one would survive. Hence due to the presence of terrorism, the world is not safe any more. In addition to terrorism, the world is not safe any more due to mutations in biotechnology. In the past, the world was safe from such dangers as research on biotechnology was not that prolific. Now however, immense breakthroughs have been realised in the field of life sciences. The creation of Genetically modified foods is but one such result of these breakthroughs. These genetically-modified crops were promoted to grow faster, provide more nutrients and be more resistant to disease. However, how safe are these foods exactly? Mutations is a naturally occurring process in Nature, but tapering with the genes of such crops may result in a mutation that the world may not be ready to accept. For example, several strains of genetically modified rice were recently found to have been contaminated with a strain of disease, as a result, all these crops were taken off the market. One an only imagine what harm could have been caused if these crops were not removed in time. In a world where even the fruits and vegetables you eat can poison you, how safe can one really feel? Another aspect would be to look at how exploring the gene pool has led to issues like cloning. Scientists now play God, being able to duplicate the genetic structure of most organisms. Again, the issue of mutation rears its ugly head. Most experiments usually end in death or grossly deformed babies. Does one really feel safe in our world now where such dangers are real? Other than biotechnology , I feel the world is not a safe place due to nuclear proliferation. In antediluvian times, there were no such things as nuclear weaponry. War was fought on the open fields and with soldiers, not missiles. It was hard to be caught unawares and war was fought against soldiers. After the Manhattan Project however, all this changed. High energy research led to the development of atomic weaponry. The effects of such devastatingly powerful weaponry were realised when Nagasaki and Hiroshima were bombed by such weapons in World war Two. Thousands of civilians and soldiers died in the process. Here civilians, not only soldiers were massacred. The danger of such nuclear proliferation is even more apparent now. Even countries like Pakistan which are under massive debt and undergoing unrest have access to nuclear armada. Nuclear weaponry can be said to be the sin qua non of the new world. The ultimate deterrent , a nuclear missile can level an enemy city in minutes with the push of a button, and with no casualties to the attackers as well. The power of such weapons of mass destruction really begs one to wonder is the world safe any more. As said before, even an unstable country like Pakistan has access to nuclear weaponry, is a splinter group were to stage a coup and gain control of these nuclear missile silos, the world would be at stake. The fact that such things are even possible shows how much the world is not safe any more. We have looked at how and why the world is not safe any more. We have looked at the aspects of terrorism, biotechnology and nuclear proliferation. Through these aspects, we see that while the world is safer in some aspects, it is certainly much more unsafe now. In a world now where one can be mercilessly bombed or poisoned, even by the very food we eat, how safe can one feel? Author is a person who have successfully combated acne. For more information, visit http://www.homeacneskincare.com on tips how you can banish acne forever too!
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Contributor's Note
Author is a person who have successfully combated acne. For more information, visit http://www.homeacneskincare.com on tips how you can banish acne forever too!
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M.A.D. wasn't 'a clause' but a strategy. To claim it worked one needs to prove that without it war would have been inevitable.
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