The Real "Strain": The threat of chemical warfare

            While many tuned into see the premiere of FX’s new (probably amazing) show “The Strain”, there were other things that passed unnoticed. Many look upon the show and view the danger as something unthinkable, something that would never happen to them but they can be scared by the show nonetheless.

            For many people, the threat of biological or chemical weapons is not restricted to a television show. The use of chemical weapons on civilians and opposition forces in Syria led to a call for international intervention that bordered on sending in U.S forces. The threat worked and Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons has been virtually eliminated.

            But what about the other stockpiles around the world? Russia, inheriting its stockpile from the Soviet Union, still retains tens of thousands of tons of biological and chemical weapons (though much less than at the height of the Cold War). The U.S holds a similar stockpile and many countries in conflict areas such as Israel and Pakistan are believed to hold these as well.

            For the most part, nations have agreed to ban the use of chemical and biological weapons. After the horrors of WW1, nations have adhered to this virtual ban because they fear the repercussions and the consequences. An invading army could use biological weapons to eliminate the people of the invaded country. But most leaders fear what would come of it, as there is very little ability to predict or contain the results.

            So when you watch the next episode of The Strain, remember that one of the main reasons this did not occur in reality is not because the weapons do not exist, but because they are so dangerous and unpredictable that Hitler and Stalin were against using them against each other.