Soon it will be 77 years since one country was transferred to another city. We have lived under the malice of a mushroom cloud for so long after that that it is not easy to notice its existence. Still, there are times when there are enough nuclear bombs to kill all life on Earth. Even the accidental launch of a missile with a fissile warhead can make carbon cleanup seem like an easy challenge. Since the ‘9/11’ attacks by the US in 2001, the risk of terrorists armed with nuclear, chemical or biological equipment – or jet fueled aircraft – has assumed greater importance. Although it was concerns over weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that prompted the US to invade Iraq soon after, although none were found there, the Pentagon’s hunt for the leader of al Qaeda was prolonged, Osama bin Laden. His successor Ayman al-Zawahiri was killed. Most recently, over the weekend by the US military in Kabul. Global efforts to reduce terrorist threats include preventing money from flowing into the development of weapons of mass destruction. On Monday, India amended its 2005 ban on creating WMDs to make its policy illegal even funding such activity, with advice from the Financial Action Task Force.
The Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery System (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022, enacted by India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, not only prevents the financing of WMDs and their delivery vehicles, it empowers the government to freeze and confiscate gives. Financial assets and resources of those involved in this illegal activity. The new provisions cover all holdings that are either owned or controlled – wholly or jointly, directly or indirectly – by criminals and anything held by others on their behalf. The changes also make it clear that the Center can act through any authority to whom it has entrusted this task. With little evidence available of such efforts in India, our WMD law is unlikely to be enforced, but it is important for our judiciary to ensure that it is not enforced unfairly. In a global context, however, such a pre-emptive move makes sense. It would be disastrous if a workshop hidden away somewhere developed a lethal weapon, which could be delivered by a submissive drone disguised for a peaceful purpose. Clearly, the world must rally to prevent such a possibility.
While a global warning on terror perpetrated by non-state actors is easily justified, we must not lower our guard against the use of armed WMDs by nation-states. During the Soviet–US Cold War, the ‘MAD’ argument of ‘mutually assured destruction’ was put on hold by war players as an assurance of peace. Still, the nuclear rattle continues. Earlier this year, Russia warned the NATO alliance of dire consequences if the latter decided to intervene in its invasion of Ukraine. Our own subcontinent is kept on the edge by a nexus between authorized guarantors of security and Islamic incubators of terror in the Northwest region. To help secure the world, we must propose a global treaty that commits every state to a ‘no first use’ WMD, in line with New Delhi’s nuclear doctrine. The biggest bottleneck will probably be resistance from countries that see ‘preventive’ arsenals as a way to address other defense deficiencies. Think about Russia’s stand. Or Pakistan, as repeated in 2019. Nevertheless, the start of worldwide negotiations on such a security pledge would increase its worldwide popular appeal and put some pressure on opponents of the idea. Over time, this could make the world safer for all.
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