ABSTRACT
The potential spread of weapons of mass destruction in the Third World is a matter of grave concern and raises more urgent questions than those associated with conventional armaments. Weapons of mass destruction include chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons. Chemical weapons have been acquired and stockpiled by several countries and have been used intermittently in war, despite international efforts to outlaw such use. Nuclear weapons have been acquired and stockpiled by a few powers in large numbers, but they have not been used in war since Nagasaki, and their spread has not matched earlier technological forecasts. The introduction of nuclear weaponry by one or two regional powers would force other regional states to alter their defense plans and possibly nuclearize their force structures, all of which would make regional conflicts far more dangerous and conflict management more difficult and costly.
