WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION IN IRAQ
Critical Analysis
By Lara Maupin, a social studies teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia

Overview:
This lesson should take 15 - 20 minutes and may be used to discuss with your students the issue of weapons of mass destruction in the context of the current conflict with Iraq. Students will understand:

• what chemical and biological weapons Saddam Hussein is accused of having
  
  
• why the international community has determined that he should not have them
  
  
• and how this issue is especially relevant today

This lesson may be used in any social studies class.

Materials:
Students will need printed copies of the NewsHour Extra article cited below or computers with Internet access.

Correlations to National Standards

Procedure:

1. Ask your students what they already know about the weapons of mass destruction Saddam Hussein is thought to have. Give them the following background as necessary. (printer-friendly handout PDF )
   
   · mustard gas - blisters / burns exposed tissues, fatal if untreated
   
   · nerve agents (such as sarin and tabun) - can cause convulsions, unconsciousness, and death if untreated immediately
   
   · What is bioterrorism?

   "Bioterrorism is the intentional use of organisms such as viruses and bacteria to harm or kill people.

   In many cases the targets of these attacks are civilians, not the military. People or countries may use this method of attack because it is a way of harming their opponents without directly engaging in military combat or other types of overt warfare.

   Bioterrorism has been used throughout the centuries. In the 6th Century B.C., the Assyrians poisoned the wells of their enemies with a deadly fungus. In 1346, during the an attack on the Black Sea town of Kaffa, the Tartar army hurled plague-ridden bodies over the walls of the city. In 1767, during the French and Indian War, the English gave blankets laced with smallpox to Native Americans loyal to the French.

   According to experts, the biggest bioterror hazards now are anthrax and smallpox, although other possible threats include bubonic plague, botulism and tuberculosis." (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec02/bio.html)

   · The smallpox threat

   "Officials are concerned that smallpox could be used as a biological weapon by terrorists who wish to harm the United States. The smallpox virus, which was eradicated worldwide in 1980, is a highly contagious disease that can kill up to 30 percent of individuals infected. Routine smallpox vaccination was stopped in the U.S. in 1972, and the vaccine is only available through the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
   
   The virus is currently stored in two World Health Organization repositories, one in Russia and one in Atlanta, GA. However, some believe that countries like Iraq have secret supplies as well.

   According to the CDC, a smallpox outbreak could spread rapidly, since few people have an immunity to the virus and many health personnel might fail to recognize its symptoms. Plus, Americans' increased mobility could allow smallpox to more easily spread." (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/july-dec02/bio.html)

   · Are there weapons of mass destruction?

   "Hans Blix heads UNMOVIC, the U.N. team searching for Iraq's biological, chemical and missile programs.

   So far, Blix said that Iraq "appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament that was demanded of it."
   
   Blix also said that the 12,000-page Iraqi weapons declaration submitted last month seems to be a reprint of old Iraqi reports and does not answer questions about what kinds of weapons of mass destruction the government of Saddam Hussein may have.
   
   Blix did not specifically ask for more time to inspect Iraq but made it clear that his team has only just begun its work." (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june03/iraq_report.html)
   

2. Ask your students what they already know about why and how the international community, specifically the United Nations, has determined that Saddam Hussein should not possess weapons of mass destructions such as biological and chemical weapons. Discuss. You may wish to use the following talking points in your discussion.
   
   · enormous destructive capacity of such weapons; may be used to harm or threaten innocent civilians
   
   · concern about such weapons being in the "wrong hands" - terrorists or "rogue states" (could be given to such groups by Saddam Hussein)
   
   · concern about Saddam Hussein's willingness to use such weapons, based on his prior use (reports that Iraqi forces used mustard gas and nerve agents against Iranians and Kurds, killing or injuring over 20,000 people)
   
   · chemical and biological weapons reported to exist in Iraq have not been destroyed, accounted for, or found by U.N. weapons inspectors
   
   · after the Persian Gulf War U.N. Resolution 687 required Iraq to "destroy or render harmless" all weapons of mass destruction, established UNSCOM to conduct inspections of biological and chemical weapons sites, and imposed sanctions which were not to be lifted until Iraq disarmed
   
   · U.N. Resolution 1441 gave inspectors unlimited access and threatened "serious consequences" should Iraq fail to comply
   
   For more information, you may have your students read Online NewsHour's "Iraq's Weapons Capabilities" http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/iraq/un_wmd.html
   
   

3. Explain that American soldiers recently found several barrels of what may be nerve and mustard gas. Have your students read the following NewsHour Extra story. Allow your students to respond and ask questions after reading the story. If the preliminary reports are confirmed with further tests, how important is this find?
   
   
4. Remind students that disarmament was one of President Bush's two main arguments for going to war in Iraq and goals of the war (the other being regime change). Given this, does it matter if coalition forces find chemical or biological weapons in Iraq? If they do not - or do not find much, do you think the war is justified? Why or why not? How are other nations likely to view the war and the U.S. if such weapons are or are not found? Allow students to debate or write about this issue.

Extension Ideas:

1. Select a particular weapon of mass destruction (anthrax, nuclear weapons, nerve agents such as sarin, mustard gas, etc.). Research its development and/or discovery, its history and usage, and where it is now believed to exist.
   
   
2. Research the role of the United Nations in attempting to control or limit the production and possession of weapons of mass destruction. What resolutions has it passed? What agreements have been made and which countries have signed them?
   
   
3. Write a paper outlining the your opinions on the production and use of weapons of mass destruction. Who should be able to produce and store such weapons, if anyone? Under what circumstances should they be used, if any?

Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/february98/iraq1.html

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/iraq/un.html



National Standards:

National Council for the Social Studies Thematic Strands:

II. Time, Continuity and Change

VIII. Science, Technology and Society

IV. Global Connections

Author Lara Maupin teaches social studies at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. She is on leave during the 2002-2003 school year. She has a Master’s Degree in Secondary Social Studies Education from George Washington University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College.

To find out more about opportunities to contribute to this site, contact Leah Clapman at extra@newshour.org.