Chemical weapons too have roots far away in history, but the first real employment of the same is seen during World War One at Ypres, in Belgium where carbonyl chloride - CG, chemical formula COCL2 - a substance which exerts its effects solely on the lungs bringing about anoxia (oxygen deficiency), is employed by the German troops.

We then reach the time when a host of scientists, among them Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, Enrico Fermi, Robert J. Oppenheimer, Edward Teller and a host more - most of them foreigners who, persecuted by the Nazist Regime had obtained shelter in the Unites States, were asked by Uncle Sam to build some real big fire in the desert of Alamogordo and they did succeed in the momentous task of developing and successfully testing the first weapon of mass destruction, the atomic bomb.

One night, a long time ago, the American Airplanes in the context of an humanitarian mission code-named Meetinghouse flew over Tokio and started dropping canisters of magnesium and phosphorous as well as jellied gasoline (napalm), a job which left 72,489 charred citizens of Tokio soul-less and blackened on the ground in between the smoke of the burning city and 130,000 injured.

But burning the Japanese with sustained heat-bombing (and Germans as well) must have been a long and tedious work so that the Americans decided to resort to their latest gizmos, which at the time were not known as weapons of mass destruction but simply as Little Boy and Fat Man, the two atomic bombs dropped, after unwillingly skipping the target of the sacred city of Kyoto, respectively on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - they were nothing more than Little Boy and Fat Man. Hence the case is in favor of the United States since the United States has never used weapons of mass destruction: just a Little Boy and a Fat Man!

(Being a perverted mind, at times I think that recently in Afganistan ADM - Atomic Demolition Munitions - might have been used in an effort to roast Osama Bin Laden in one of his caves.).

As time went by these sort of gadgets became so numerous and powerful that the name weapons of mass destruction was applied to them. The former Soviet Union subsequently developed them, as well Great Britain, France, China, quite likeky Israel, India and Pakistan. But the United States did not fight them nor make too much fuss about it. Yet times have changed: now on the mere suspicion that Iraq might like to develop something deserving the name of weapon of mass destruction, whatever the name implies, the United States under the enlightened guidance of Mr. Bush Jr. has unearthed the ax of war and is, quite likely, going to fight Iraq because there is the suspicion that it might be on its way to develop or already has some of these gadgets which other nations are allowed to have. It is not yet going to fight North Korea - on the basis of the same suspicion - but that is understandable, the Big Tiger right across the border is on the look.

Who is prone to use them?

The gods playing the minds of men in the minds of men!

And so we have seen that quite many nations have weapons of mass destruction available, or the capability to develop them. Quite surely in these peaceful world many more nations would desire to own some of these toys but they must keep to their dreams simply because they cannot meet such a formidable task due to their poor technical infrastructures and meager purses.

But the question was: who is prone to use them?

And the answer is simple, very simple: those who developed them did no do it just for the sake of having these powerful toys in their bunkers, should the need arise these weapons would be used. In first strike, in retaliation, or in defeat.

The United States used them under the pretext to shorten the Second World War and to avoid an indefinite dragging on with the obstinate Japanese. What chances are there that they won't use them again? Their policy, the military policy of "no first strike" maintained throughout the Cold War has changed too after the September 11 attack in the U.S.A.

The use of nuclear weapons, al least the little and cute tactical ones, in the war against the Taliban was not ruled out should necessity arise. And of course the Taliban were a small tribe which still survives, indeed smaller and scattered through the globe but not yet done away with.

As for Saddam Hussein, he is not heading a small tribe but a large nation with a great history of civilization and the Religion of Islam at his heart. This might bring about, notwithstanding the actual stand of some Islamic nations, a turning around of the balance in his favor. The American troops might become modern Crusaders in the eyes of the Islamic world and a Jihad, a Holy War turning over one billion Muslims against the western world would became a reality. A Third World War would become a reality. A radioactive globe would become a reality.

We might sort out some nations with nuclear power, to name a few Russia, China, India and Pakistan and play one of those simulation games which the Americans like to play on their powerful computers at the Pentagon. The outcome in reality and the outcome of a simulation never coincide! The world would become a radioactive carpet.

Much of this would be due to the deep ignorance of the Western World concerning Islam, ignorance which we have seen in the speeches of political leaders (the Guinness prize would of course go to Mr. Silvio Berlusconi of Italy) and, what is worst, Christian religious leaders.

Do a wrong deed to a camel and he will never forget it - and the Muslim world is a world which is in tune with camels.

As for the gods playing the minds of men in the minds of men, there are plenty of them. Once upon a time they used to speak to men, there were plenty of them. As time went by a single God remained for those people with discernment but he too went mute so we created for ourselves other gods which are the prime movers of the planet's inhabitants: power, wealth, greed and what you will.

The people pay lip-service to the Holy Bible and the New Testament and their hearts are blackened stones. But the people who have the Black Stone as their meeting point in the sands of the Arabian Peninsula for a sacred duty to be performed at least once in their life have their Sacred Book, the Holy Koran in their heart, the God in their minds who plays their minds is the Law of their world.

When the Western World and those distasteful spiritual leaders which it harbors will understand this and bring their sheep to this understanding, then the world will be a better world. And there is no way out. That will be the day when what you people of the world call God will speak again to His creatures.