The Geneva Protocol of 1925 banned the use of chemical weapons. Apparently no one complied with it.
In 1943, the Allies unloaded a large stock of mustard gas from the U.S. Liberty ship John Harvey in the port of Bari, Italy. The German Luftwaffe attacked the port on 2 December 1943. Several hundred people were exposed to the gas.
The survivors later turned out to have very low white blood cell counts. That knowledge was a reason for treatment of cancer with chemotherapy, as it led researchers to look for similar chemicals that might have an effect against cancer.
However, it would have been better if everyone had complied with the Geneva Protocol.
I liked reading this reflection, as it rings a bell with some materials we studied at KU Leuven (Modern History) and of course with the news we followed since the seventies. The topic is very topical, with Ukraine hitting far into the Russian mainland on Sunday 1st of June, yesterday. The backbone of Arms Control and War seems to me the strife and Power Play that will exist as long as 'Homo sapiens' exists. Like Belgian arms and geopolitics expert (with a knack for prophetical views) Jonathan Holslag has described in his book "Peace and War. Three thousand years of world politics", countries and governments not only have been waging wars for thousands of wars all over the planet, but have indeed many reasons to go to war. From expanding influence and personal prestige of leaders to providing markets for their commercial agents. It is in our mind, to wage war. (More than in the mindset of any other known animal).
To me personally, it is clear from reading this viewpoint above what a great amount of problems aris in trying to cofify the will not to be destructed by the arms of the adversary, the antagonist. One of the problems being the difference in terms, concepts and the like between the world and language of Diplomats on the one end and Military men (and women, since a while) on the other hand.
Therefore, and trying to insert the allways present psychological aspect in human businesses, it seems of the greatest importance to keep on with Diplomatic Contacts. And more specificly, to keep open relations between individuals at each side. (In our Era: Americans, Russians and Chinese, at the least: like we see magnificently dramatized in the movie "The Hunt for Red Octobre", the situation of imminent nuclear strike can be dimmed, calmed, when sholars and generals, politicians at both sides have a fair knowledge of each other's personality and character.
The specialist in Submarines and Navy personnel played by Alec Baldwin is able to solve a major crisis between DC and Moskow since he is well acquainted with the Russian (Latvian) Submarine captain who is defecting using the new model of nuclear sub, character played by the eternal film star Sean Connery.
Even Churchill and Stalin come to the mind: it is certain to me that it has been very beneficial to the chances of ending the war against the Hilerian Armies that Winston and Stalin went along rather well when meeting face to face. We must be grateful for the courage and energy of the 65 years plus Briton that travelled all the time to meet the partners in the US and in the Sovjet Union, even in very dangerous and uncomfortable conditions.
Wars are waged when leaders don't listen to each other any more. And wars are waged out of basic
mental motives like pride and, inversely, jealousy. A well succeeded face to face meeting can be magic therefore. I call that, also in the very different circumstances of friends and even of therapeutic sessions: "The Miracle of Meeting".
So, let us hope and work for the survival of solid Diplomacy schools and channels, and for pools of people that speak Russion, Chinese and English.
The rest is simply largely out of control for the best part, I dare presume.
The Geneva Protocol of 1925 banned the use of chemical weapons. Apparently no one complied with it.
In 1943, the Allies unloaded a large stock of mustard gas from the U.S. Liberty ship John Harvey in the port of Bari, Italy. The German Luftwaffe attacked the port on 2 December 1943. Several hundred people were exposed to the gas.
The survivors later turned out to have very low white blood cell counts. That knowledge was a reason for treatment of cancer with chemotherapy, as it led researchers to look for similar chemicals that might have an effect against cancer.
However, it would have been better if everyone had complied with the Geneva Protocol.
I liked reading this reflection, as it rings a bell with some materials we studied at KU Leuven (Modern History) and of course with the news we followed since the seventies. The topic is very topical, with Ukraine hitting far into the Russian mainland on Sunday 1st of June, yesterday. The backbone of Arms Control and War seems to me the strife and Power Play that will exist as long as 'Homo sapiens' exists. Like Belgian arms and geopolitics expert (with a knack for prophetical views) Jonathan Holslag has described in his book "Peace and War. Three thousand years of world politics", countries and governments not only have been waging wars for thousands of wars all over the planet, but have indeed many reasons to go to war. From expanding influence and personal prestige of leaders to providing markets for their commercial agents. It is in our mind, to wage war. (More than in the mindset of any other known animal).
To me personally, it is clear from reading this viewpoint above what a great amount of problems aris in trying to cofify the will not to be destructed by the arms of the adversary, the antagonist. One of the problems being the difference in terms, concepts and the like between the world and language of Diplomats on the one end and Military men (and women, since a while) on the other hand.
Therefore, and trying to insert the allways present psychological aspect in human businesses, it seems of the greatest importance to keep on with Diplomatic Contacts. And more specificly, to keep open relations between individuals at each side. (In our Era: Americans, Russians and Chinese, at the least: like we see magnificently dramatized in the movie "The Hunt for Red Octobre", the situation of imminent nuclear strike can be dimmed, calmed, when sholars and generals, politicians at both sides have a fair knowledge of each other's personality and character.
The specialist in Submarines and Navy personnel played by Alec Baldwin is able to solve a major crisis between DC and Moskow since he is well acquainted with the Russian (Latvian) Submarine captain who is defecting using the new model of nuclear sub, character played by the eternal film star Sean Connery.
Even Churchill and Stalin come to the mind: it is certain to me that it has been very beneficial to the chances of ending the war against the Hilerian Armies that Winston and Stalin went along rather well when meeting face to face. We must be grateful for the courage and energy of the 65 years plus Briton that travelled all the time to meet the partners in the US and in the Sovjet Union, even in very dangerous and uncomfortable conditions.
Wars are waged when leaders don't listen to each other any more. And wars are waged out of basic
mental motives like pride and, inversely, jealousy. A well succeeded face to face meeting can be magic therefore. I call that, also in the very different circumstances of friends and even of therapeutic sessions: "The Miracle of Meeting".
So, let us hope and work for the survival of solid Diplomacy schools and channels, and for pools of people that speak Russion, Chinese and English.
The rest is simply largely out of control for the best part, I dare presume.