You mean that Goldfinger was only make-believe?!

James Robbins discusses the use of "peace gas" in hostage situations. I agree with the approach taken by the Russians, I have to think it worked better than the FBI's in Waco. But what was that gas they used? They're keeping it mum because it probably violates a number of arms treaties. It definitely isn't non-lethal.


Nevertheless, I disagree with the Robbins' statement that:

There is something viscerally repugnant about the use of gas as a weapon, nonlethal or otherwise. One thinks of gas in the context of World War I, the Holocaust, and the Kurds at Halabja. At base, gas is frightening.

Why do we use tear gas and pepper spray? Because it avoids injuries both to the cops and to the rioters. The trick is finding one that instantly disables them, but doesn't kill. I assume that our researchers haven't found that yet.