Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors

Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors LINKS

Other Citizens Weapons Inspection Groups

CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERCIAN BASES (CAAB) - Lindis Percy and Anni Rainbow the joint coordinators of CAAB have recently been very supportive of GWI and deserve enormous credit for their persistent campaign to expose the military aspects of the US/British special relationship - check out their website www.caab.org.uk

International Citizens' Weapons Inspectorate was started by students from dozens of countries studying at the United World College of the Atlantic in South Wales. Our first Action will be on Saturday 25th January at RAF St Athans. www.icwi.org. Contact info@icwi.org

Berkshire Citizens Inspection Agency (Berks CIA) hold regular inspections of US munitions dump at Welford, which is the bomb store for Fairford and is run as a satellite to Fairford by the 424th Air Base Squadron and the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston. No website but contact is Peter Burt at Reading International Solidarity Centre.

Cambridge Students Against War have been to inspect inspection of the U.S. Air Force base at Lakenheath, only 70 miles from London. It is believed that the base contains about 30 tactical nuclear weapons, and possibly other Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Website www.camsaw.org.uk. Contact info@camsaw.org.uk

Rooting Out Evil is a Canadian-based coalition that plans to send citizen inspectors into the U.S from Canada in an effort to examine the U.S. military's arsenal of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. Citing guidelines put forth by the Bush administration itself, the coalition of groups which includes Greenpeace Canada, the Toronto Committee Against War and Sanctions on Iraq, and Global Exchange, hope to expose the double standards and hypocrisy that they say is manifest in White House policies toward Iraq and international law. Read about them on IndyMedia or vist their website www.rootingoutevil.org where you can sign up as a weapons inspector.

...please let us know of any more on info@gwi.org.uk and will link 'em form here.

About Weapons of Mass Destruction

Guardian / RUSI Conference on Nuclear Policy and Proliferation. There are some excellent articles on the enw nuclear peril from the recent Guardian / Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) conference. Read why Nobel peace laureate Professor Sir Joseph Rotblat believes 'We are on a slippery slope, heading for disaster' - www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/rusi2003

The Center For Non Proliferation Studies has an excellent resource for those us trying to understand what weapons are classed as WMD - and it's not a clear cut as you might think. The site is called WMD411

Beyond the usual definition of "nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and the means to deliver them" some recent US laws widen the definition to "includes radiological weapons. It defines WMD as "any weapon or device that is intended, or has the capability, to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of - (A) toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors; (B) a disease organism; or (C) radiation or radioactivity."

The FBI sometimes uses an even wider definition "A weapon of mass destruction (WMD), though typically associated with nuclear/radiological, chemical, or biological agents, may also take the form of explosives, such as in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1995. A weapon crosses the WMD threshold when the consequences of its release overwhelm local responders."

So by any of these definitions we think a nuclear capable B-2 dropping DU munitions to destroy civilian infrastructure (like water treatment plants) is a WMD. - hey but that's just our opinion.

The Federation of American Scientists provides a comprehensive overview of the B-2 Stealth bomber and excellent resources on other weapons, both WMD and conventional.

About Weapons of Indiscriminate Effect

This class of weapons is kind of new and not accepted by the world powers and proliferators as any different to conventional weapons. We believe these weapons tread the thin line between conventional and WMD. In this category we include depleted uranium, uranium alloy and cluster bombs - weapons that have devastating long term effects on the civilian population in regions where they are used

Independent researcher Dai Williams provides the most thorough material on depleted uranium weapons. This includes the on going debate as to the mystery heavy metal used in bunker busting bombs in Afghanistan. Google searches for depleted uranium and gulf war will turn up lots more references.

The Cooperative Bank is sponsoring a major effort to force the users of cluster bombs to clean up the mess - so visit their website and sign the petition.