Even the bogus argument over weapons of mass destruction was connected to earlier cases of liberal intervention, inasmuch as it was suggested that a Saddam Hussein with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons could be another Slobodan Milosevic.
For true doom and gloom, though, there was the discussion on Friday about "asymmetric threats," an exploration of whether nuclear, chemical or biological weapons could be used by rogue states or groups.
Mr Campbell suggested 11 changes to the draft, which were all adopted in the final week before publication, included changing how biological weapons "could be used" to "are capable of being used", and changing "may have" to "have", regarding the authority of Saddam's sons' to launch chemical or biological weapons.
Critics say the heat-seeking missiles used to intercept a missile carrying a nuclear, biological or chemical weapon could be easily evaded by simple countermeasures.
Leitenberg noted that (p. 156): "The experience of the Aum is therefore in marked contrast to the legion of statements by senior US government officials and other spokesmen claiming that the preparation of biological agents and weapons could be carried out in 'kitchens', 'bathrooms', 'garages', 'home breweries', and is a matter of relative ease and simplicity".
Britain's M.I. 6 intelligence service has been forced to retract its assertions that Saddam Hussein had stockpiled chemical and biological weapons and that such weapons could be deployed on 45 minutes' notice, a claim that helped to galvanize British public opinion in favor of war.
They found WMD manuals in Arabic, chemical and biological protection suits and facilities where such weapons could be produced.
Mr. Howard asked Mr. Blair to declassify the intelligence relating to chemical and biological weapons and the report that suggested that such weapons could be activated in 45 minutes.
He expressed fears that nations wishing to join the nuclear club, but now constrained by their signatures to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, might withdraw, and he said a protocol to a convention on biological weapons could also be made more vulnerable.
