Smallpox As a Weapon

Smallpox as a Weapon
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Smallpox as a Weapon
In “Silent Weapon: Smallpox and Biological Warfare,” Colette Flight argues that the possibility of nations retaining Smallpox virus with the intention of using it in times of war should receive more attention than it does. In the 20th century, many countries continued to produce the virus intending to use it in case war erupted, but due to the discovery of a vaccine, some countries abandoned this mission. However, America and Russia continued to produce it until 1969 when President Nixon halted the program in the United States. Three countries, the United Kingdom, Russia, and United States, signed the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972, agreeing to halt such endeavors. However, Russia continued with its program, focusing on virulent strain India 67 and India 1, because it believed that the United Kingdom and America had not abandoned their programs (Flight, 2011). When the United States got wind of it, it started the program again. It is likely that countries such as China, Cuba, Iran, Israel, India, Yugoslavia, and Pakistan have their programs (Flight, 2011). Such cases make it difficult to assess the real nature of the threat of using smallpox as a weapon.
In my opinion, the article efficaciously covers the topic by using examples to show how smallpox has been used in wars in the past. The author says that Smallpox has been used as a weapon in various wars. For example, Britain used it to fight the French and the Indians (1754-63) and to fight the Americans (1775-83) during their respective wars (Flight, 2011).

The author also makes use of eyewitness accounts to show a picture of the situation to people who might doubt the issue. The best audience for this article is the stakeholder concerned with the maintenance of world peace, who can use the details to help fight these programs.
References
Flight, C. (2011, February 17). BBC – history – World Wars: Silent Weapon: Smallpox and Biological Warfare. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/coldwar/pox_weapon_01.shtml