Can Nuclear Weapons Deter State-sponsored Terrorism?
Nuclear weapons showed their deterrence capability both in the Cold War and since, says physicist C. Paul Robinson — interviewed by the National Journal before the September 11 attack. During the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam Hussein killed tens of thousands of people using chemical agents. Robinson, former head of the U.S. nuclear weapons program and an adviser to the U.S. Space Command, says Hussein possessed large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons during the Gulf War. But those weapons were not used. Why? Robinson suggests that America’s nuclear capabilities deterred their use: “Many military experts I’ve talked to are absolutely convinced it was because of a secret letter sent by President Bush threatening the gravest consequences if such weapons were released.” However, says Robinson, we need different nuclear weapons to utilize deterrence in the post-Cold War era. • We are increasingly threatened by biological, chemical and radiological weapons that could kill huge numbers o
