Originally posted by Phage
Nice find. It's not part of the Geneva Convention though, it's from ENMOD.
If ever becomes possible to do those things, the agreement prohibits it. It does not say it's possible it says "could be caused", not "can be
caused".
I think perhaps you are confused about the meaning of "could" :
CAN (present tense) = present ability (therefore possible)
COULD (past tense) = latent ability or possibility
You say "if ever it becomes possible" as if the word COULD has nothing to do with the concept of POSSIBILITY and yet, according to the dictionary,
COULD means:
could /kʊd; unstressed kəd/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kood; unstressed kuhd] Show IPA
–verb
1. a pt. of can
–auxiliary verb
2. (used to express possibility): I wonder who that could be at the door. That couldn't be true.
3. (used to express conditional possibility or ability): You could do it if you tried.
The very word itself means that it is possible, at least conditionally so. So, based on the context in which the word is used, it is strongly implied
that the capability does exist, either in theory, experimentation, prototype, or actual use.
For you to assume that the government would announce such a capability to the world is just asinine. It is well established in history and current
practice that governments, especially military arms, have many secrets that are not made public.
If a potential military capability exists in a theoretical sense, it is highly likely that a secret project exists for its exploitation. This
assertion is based on the fact that the military is always looking for strategic advantage, so it is illogical for any modern military to not exploit
every theoretical approach that helps it achieve this overriding goal. This is a probability rooted in the solid understanding of a particular
institution's nature and character.