DOCSLIB.ORG

Smallpox As a Bioweapon Should We Be Concerned

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Smallpox As a Bioweapon Should We Be Concerned CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2012-03 Smallpox as a Bioweapon Should We Be Concerned Musson, Gail C. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/6839 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS SMALLPOX AS A BIOWEAPON: SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED? by Gail C. Musson March 2012 Thesis Advisor: Anne Clunan Second Reader: Jeffrey Knopf Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED March 2012 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Smallpox as a Bioweapon: Should We Be Concerned? 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Gail C. Musson 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION Naval Postgraduate School REPORT NUMBER Monterey, CA 93943-5000 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING N/A AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government. IRB Protocol number ______N/A______. 12a. DISTRIBUTION / AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited A 13. ABSTRACT (maximum 200 words) There is debate in the weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism literature over whether the threat from smallpox is exaggerated or realistic; however, there has been insufficient evaluation of the factors that indicate whether the threat is valid or overblown. Insufficient weight has been given to whether there are groups or individuals who are capable or have demonstrated the intent to use smallpox as a weapon, which should be key factors in evaluating the level of threat posed by the virus. To address the issue of the gap in the specific risk assessment of a smallpox attack, the following issues will be considered: (1) capability––whether smallpox is a realistic agent for terrorists to use; (2) motivation––what types of terrorists might pursue smallpox as a bioweapon; and (3) deterrence––whether current U.S. and international policies are likely to impact this decision. I conclude that the threat the United States faces from a smallpox attack is more remote than is implied by the amount of concern it generates in reports and preparedness exercises. Terrorists are unlikely to be able to master the acquisition, production, weaponization and dissemination of the virus, and would likely pursue other types of weapons. 14. SUBJECT TERMS Smallpox, Variola virus, Variola major, Bioterrorism, Biowarfare 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 145 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY 18. SECURITY 19. SECURITY 20. LIMITATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF CLASSIFICATION OF THIS CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT REPORT PAGE ABSTRACT Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified UU NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited SMALLPOX AS A BIOWEAPON: SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED? Gail C. Musson Lieutenant, United States Navy B.A., University of Rochester, 2004 Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES (HOMELAND SECURITY AND DEFENSE) from the NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL March 2012 Author: Gail C. Musson Approved by: Anne Clunan Thesis Advisor Jeffrey Knopf Second Reader Daniel J. Moran Chair, Department of National Security Affairs iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT There is debate in the weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism literature over whether the threat from smallpox is exaggerated or realistic; however, there has been insufficient evaluation of the factors that indicate whether the threat is valid or overblown. Insufficient weight has been given to whether there are groups or individuals who are capable or have demonstrated the intent to use smallpox as a weapon, which should be key factors in evaluating the level of threat posed by the virus. To address the issue of the gap in the specific risk assessment of a smallpox attack, the following issues will be considered: (1) capability––whether smallpox is a realistic agent for terrorists to use; (2) motivation––what types of terrorists might pursue smallpox as a bioweapon; and (3) deterrence––whether current U.S. and international policies are likely to impact this decision. I conclude that the threat the United States faces from a smallpox attack is more remote than is implied by the amount of concern it generates in reports and preparedness exercises. Terrorists are unlikely to be able to master the acquisition, production, weaponization and dissemination of the virus, and would likely pursue other types of weapons. v THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK vi TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 A. SMALLPOX AS A THREAT .........................................................................1 1. Smallpox Has Been Eradicated; Is It Still a Concern? .....................2 2. Background of the Disease ..................................................................6 3. Virus Characteristics ...........................................................................8 4. Disease Characteristics ......................................................................10 5. Transmission ......................................................................................13 B. VACCINATION AND ITS IMPACT ON THREAT PERCEPTION ......15 1. National Smallpox Vaccination Campaign ......................................18 2. Public Opinion and Vaccination .......................................................20 C. MISPERCEPTIONS AND EXAGGERATIONS IN GOVERNMENT PREPAREDNESS EXERCISES ..................................................................23 1. Dark Winter .......................................................................................23 2. Atlantic Storm ....................................................................................25 D. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................27 II. IS SMALLPOX REALISTIC FOR TERRORISTS TO USE? .............................29 A. ACQUIRING SMALLPOX ..........................................................................29 B. SYNTHETIC ENGINEERING OF THE SMALLPOX VIRUS ...............30 1. Is it Possible? ......................................................................................30 2. Is it Realistic to Think that Terrorists are Capable of This? .........32 C. WEAPONIZING SMALLPOX ....................................................................35 1. Laboratory and Scientific Requirements.........................................36 2. Characteristics of the Virus that Make It Suitable for Weaponization ....................................................................................39 3. Technological Difficulties and Barriers to Dissemination ..............40 a. An Infected Terrorist ..............................................................45 b. Liquid Smallpox in Bomblets or Sprayers .............................45 c. Dried Smallpox Spread through the Air ................................48 4. Weaponization Success in the Soviet Union ....................................49 5. Reliability of Sources Providing Claims of Success ........................53 6. “Brain Drain” from the Former Soviet Union? ..............................56 D. EVIDENCE OF INTENT OR CLAIM TO USE SMALLPOX AS A BIOWEAPON OUTSIDE THE SOVIET UNION .....................................59 1. Al Qaeda .............................................................................................59 a. Al Qaeda’s Claims and Reasoning .........................................59 b. Assessments about al Qaeda ...................................................61 2. Iraq ......................................................................................................65 3. Iran ......................................................................................................68 4. North Korea ........................................................................................69 E. CONCLUSION ..............................................................................................71 vii III. WHAT KINDS OF TERRORISTS MIGHT PURSUE SMALLPOX AS A BIOWEAPON ............................................................................................................73 A. DOES THIS TYPE OF ATTACK MATCH A PARTICULAR
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Pathogens As Weapons Gregory Koblentz the International Security Implications of Biological Warfare
    Pathogens as Weapons Pathogens as Weapons Gregory Koblentz The International Security Implications of Biological Warfare Biological weapons have become one of the key security issues of the twenty-ªrst century.1 Three factors that ªrst emerged in the 1990s have contributed to this phenomenon. First, revelations regarding the size, scope, and sophistication of the Soviet and Iraqi biological warfare programs focused renewed attention on the prolifera- tion of these weapons.2 Second, the catastrophic terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the anthrax letters sent to media outlets and Senate ofªces in the United States during the following month, demonstrated the desire of terror- ists to cause massive casualties and heightened concern over their ability to employ biological weapons.3 Third, signiªcant advances in the life sciences have increased concerns about how the biotechnology revolution could be ex- ploited to develop new or improved biological weapons.4 These trends suggest that there is a greater need than ever to answer several fundamental questions about biological warfare: What is the nature of the threat? What are the poten- tial strategic consequences of the proliferation of biological weapons? How ef- Gregory Koblentz is a doctoral candidate in Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I would like to thank Robert Art, Thomas Christensen, Linda Fu, Jeanne Guillemin, Kendall Hoyt, Milton Leitenberg, John Ellis van Courtland Moon, Julian Perry Robinson, Harvey Sapolsky, Mar- garet Sloane, Jonathan Tucker, and Stephen Van Evera for their support and discussion of previous drafts. I am also grateful for comments from the participants in seminars at the Massachusetts In- stitute of Technology’s Security Studies Program, Harvard University’s John M.
    [Show full text]
  • Alibek, Tularaemia and the Battle of Stalingrad
    Obligations (EC-36/DG.16 dated 4 March 2004, Corr.1 dated 15 Conference of the States Parties (C-9/6, dated 2 December 2004). March 2004 and Add.1 dated 25 March 2004); Information on 13 the Implementation of the Plan of Action for the Implementation Conference decision C-9/DEC.4 dated 30 November 2004, of Article VII Obligations (S/433/2004 dated 25 June 2004); Second www.opcw.org. Progress Report on the OPCW Plan of Action Regarding the 14 Note by the Director-General: Report on the Plan of Action Implementation of Article VII Obligations (EC-38/DG.16 dated Regarding the Implementation of Article VII Obligations (EC- 15 September 2004; Corr.1 dated 24 September 2004; and Corr.2 42/DG.8 C-10/DG.4 and Corr.1 respectively dated 7 and 26 dated 13 October 2004); Report on the OPCW Plan of Action September 2005; EC-M-25/DG.1 C-10/DG.4/Rev.1, Add.1 and Regarding the Implementation of Article VII Obligations (C-9/ Corr.1, respectively dated 2, 8 and 10 November 2005). DG.7 dated 23 November 2004); Third Progress Report on the 15 OPCW Plan of Action Regarding the Implementation of Article One-hundred and fifty-six drafts have been submitted by 93 VII Obligations (EC-40/DG.11 dated 16 February 2005; Corr.1 States Parties. In some cases, States Parties have requested dated 21 April 2005; Add.1 dated 11 March 2005; and Add.1/ advice on drafts several times during their governmental Corr.1 dated 14 March 2005); Further Update on the Plan of consultative process.
    [Show full text]
  • Toxic Archipelago: Preventing Proliferation from the Former Soviet Chemical and Biological Weapons Complexes
    Toxic Archipelago: Preventing Proliferation from the Former Soviet Chemical and Biological Weapons Complexes Amy E. Smithson Report No. 32 December 1999 Copyright©1999 11 Dupont Circle, NW Ninth Floor Washington, DC 20036 phone 202.223.5956 fax 202.238.9604 [email protected] Copyright©1999 by The Henry L. Stimson Center 11 Dupont Circle, NW Ninth Floor Washington, DC 20036 tel 202.223.5956 fax 202.238.9604 email [email protected] Preface and Acknowledgments This report is the second major narrative by the Stimson Center’s Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project on the problems associated with the vast chemical and biological weapons capabilities created by the USSR. An earlier report, Chemical Weapons Disarmament in Russia: Problems and Prospects (October 1995), contained the first public discussion of security shortcomings at Russia’s chemical weapons facilities and the most detailed account publicly available of the top secret chemical weapons development program of Soviet origin, code-named novichok. Toxic Archipelago examines another aspect of the USSR’s weapons of mass destruction legacy, the proliferation problems that stem from the former Soviet chemical and biological weapons complexes. Given the number of institutes and individuals with expertise in chemical and biological weaponry that have been virtually without the financial support of their domestic governments since the beginning of 1992, this report provides an overview of a significant and complex proliferation dilemma and appraises the efforts being made to address it. This topic and other issues of chemical and biological weapons proliferation concern are also covered on the project’s worldwide web page, which can be found at the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Project section of the Stimson web site at: www.stimson.org/.
    [Show full text]
  • Smallpox - an Old Disease, a New Threat
    Smallpox - An Old Disease, A New Threat Part I - A New Threat The worldwide eradication of smallpox by the World Health Organization (WHO) 20 years ago is a success story that, ironically, could end in catastrophe. This is the first of a three part series that will explore the history of the disease and the modern dangers from a virus that was on the brink of extinction. Today, the only known stocks of the smallpox virus are at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and at the Russian State Center for Research on Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Russia. These stocks were slated for destruction on June 30, 1999; however, the World Health Assembly, which governs WHO, decided to postpone the elimination of smallpox until possibly as late as 2002. That decision came after the Clinton administration asked for a delay to allow time for further research on the virus. The concern about destroying the virus comes from reports that terrorist groups may have stocks of the virus that could be used for biological warfare. Because of the success of WHO in eliminating smallpox, a large percentage of the world (including everyone in the U.S. and Canada born after 1973) has not been vaccinated against the disease. Thus, we have a large susceptible population that can be easily infected and can lead to an epidemic. Given that smallpox is very contagious and that most doctors would not recognize smallpox, the danger is its reemerging is clear. Ken Alibek, author of the book "Biohazard: The Chilling True Story of the Largest Covert Biological Weapons Program in the World-Told from the Inside by the Man Who Ran It," was a top scientist working on biological weapons in the Soviet Union.
    [Show full text]
  • Grzegorz Nizioł
    Nowa Polityka Wschodnia 2012, nr 2 (3) ISSN 2084-3291 G RZE G ORZ N I Z I O ł Czynniki naturalne warunkujące bezpieczeństwo Uzbekistanu i Tadżykistanu oraz regionu Azji Centralnej emat wpływu czynników naturalnych na kształtowanie bezpieczeń- Tstwa państw Azji Centralnej – Uzbekistanu i Tadżykistanu, a także poczynania władz oraz organizacji międzynarodowych na ograniczanie zagrożeń i ich skutków jest w literaturze przedmiotu dosyć ubogi, chociaż czynniki naturalne odgrywają znaczącą rolę w zachowaniu stabilności re- gionu. Jednym z najistotniejszych problemów naturalnych jest wysychające Je- zioro Aralskie, którego wydawałoby się nieodwracalne procesy przyczyni- ły się do zmiany klimatu, postępującego ubóstwa, chorób społeczeństwa zamieszkującego okolice dawnego basenu, ale także do napięć politycz- nych związanych z gospodarowaniem zasobami wodnymi w regionie, któ- re doprowadziły do katastrofy ekologicznej. Następstwem wysychającego Jeziora okazał się problem Wyspy Odro- dzenia obecnie połączonej z lądem, na której w czasach Związku Radziec- kiego przeprowadzano eksperymenty z bronią biologiczną, a po zakończe- niu testów nie zneutralizowano wszystkich patogenów pozostawiając je na miejscu w zakopanych tuż pod powierzchnią rdzewiejących pojemnikach. Podobna sytuacja tyczy się zatopionych pojemników z odpadami radioak- tywnymi w Kirgistanie przy granicy z Uzbekistanem. Korozja i rozszczel- CZYNNIKI NATURALNE WARUNKUJąCE BEZPIECZEńSTWO UZBEKISTANU I TADżYKISTANU… 153 nienie pojemników doprowadziło już kilkukrotnie do skażenia rzek w Ko- tlinie Fergańskiej. Kolejną istotną kwestią są okresowo występujące katastrofy naturalne i ich następstwa. Trzęsienia ziemi, osuwiska skalne, lawiny śnieżne i błot- ne, powodzie oraz susze to kataklizmy, które na przestrzeni lat udowodni- ły, że są zagrożeniem dla mieszkańców Azji Centralnej, jednak przy obec- nie prowadzonej polityce nic nie wskazuje na to by były one poważnie traktowane.
    [Show full text]
  • The Drama of Bioterror: Paranoia and the Rhetoric of Defense
    THE DRAMA OF BIOTERROR: PARANOIA AND THE RHETORIC OF DEFENSE By George Huston Gittinger BA, Tulane University, 2002 MA, University of Pittsburgh, 2011 MA, University of Pittsburgh, 2013 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Communication University of Pittsburgh 2014 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH THE DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by George Huston Gittinger It was defended on November 15, 2014 Dr. Heather Douglas, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy Dr. Olga Kuchinskaya, Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Dr. Gordon Mitchell, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Dr. John Poulakos, Associate Professor, Department of Communication Dissertation Director: Dr. John Lyne, Professor, Department of Communication ii Copyright © by George Huston Gittinger 2014 iii THE DRAMA OF BIOTERROR: PARANOIA AND THE RHETORIC OF DEFENSE George Huston Gittinger, Ph. D. University of Pittsburgh, 2014 This study provides an account of how a rhetoric of bioterrorism developed and investigates its consequences. Currently, two competing ways of talking about bioterror, the skeptical and the paranoid, have been obscured because biosecurity researchers infrequently consider how particular historical and imagined events come to be defined as examples of bioterrorism. These rhetorical styles and their associated attitudes responded to a recurring problem in the history of biothreats – that there is rarely enough evidence to give clear accounts of the presence and origin of particular threats. As a result, conjectures become part of a unified history of bioterror, washing out the actual complexity of describing these rare events.
    [Show full text]
  • The Trilateral Agreement: Lessons for Biological Weapons Verification
    6 The Trilateral Agreement: lessons for biological weapons verification David C. Kelly ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ In late 1989, Dr Vladimir Pasechnik, a key research director of what turned out to be a clandestine Soviet biological weapons () facility, defected to the United Kingdom. This eventually led to an attempt by the and the United States to end the secrecy surrounding the Soviet programme, which was in violation of the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (), and to ensure that all such activities in the successor state, Russia, were verifiably ended. This effort was formalised in the so-called Trilateral Agreement on biological weapons concluded by the , the and Russia in 1992. The Trilateral Agreement failed dramatically, as Russia proved unwilling to ack- nowledge and fully account for either the former Soviet programme or the activities that it had inherited and continued to engage in. This included refusing access by American and British inspectors to its military biological sites. The lessons learned during the process contributed indirectly to the strategy of the Special Commission on Iraq () between 1991 and 1999 in seeking the biological disarmament of Iraq. They were also factored into British thinking on the design of compliance measures for the verification protocol that was being negotiated between 1995 and 2001. The failure of the trilateral initiative has implications for future attempts to design verification procedures for the , the development of confidence-building measures, the conversion to peaceful uses of facilities that were (and may still be) a part of the Russian programme, and the redeployment of biological warfare scien- tists and technicians. It also demonstrated the difficulty of applying traditional arms control principles to dual-use facilities—those capable of being used for both peaceful and military purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • A Journalist's Guide to Covering Bioterrorism
    A Journalist’s Guide to Covering Bioterrorism Radio and Television News Directors Foundation News Content and Issues Project Published with the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York. Bioterrorism A Journalist’s Guide to Covering Bioterrorism By David Chandler and India Landrigan • Made possible by the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York Radio and Television News Directors Foundation • President, Barbara Cochran • Executive Director, Rosalind Stark Project Director, News Content and Issues, Paul Irvin • Project Coordinator, News Content and Issues, Michele Gonzalez Editors: Mary Alice Anderson, Loy McGaughy Project Advisers: Jerome Hauer, Dr. Phillip Landrigan, Scott Miller, David Ropeik. Copyright ©2002 by the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation (RTNDF). All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from RTNDF. Printed in the United States of America. The version of this guide that appears on RTNDF’s web site may be downloaded for individual use, but may not be reproduced or further transmitted without written permission by RTNDF. A JOURNALIST’S GUIDE TO COVERING BIOTERRORISM Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................3 Why This Guide Is Needed.....................................................................................................5 What Is Bioterrorism?.............................................................................................................7
    [Show full text]
  • The Soviet Biological Weapons Program and Its Legacy in Today's
    Occasional Paper 11 The Soviet Biological Weapons Program and Its Legacy in Today’s Russia Raymond A. Zilinskas Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction National Defense University MR. CHARLES D. LUTES Director MR. JOHN P. CAVES, JR. Deputy Director Since its inception in 1994, the Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD Center) has been at the forefront of research on the implications of weapons of mass destruction for U.S. security. Originally focusing on threats to the military, the WMD Center now also applies its expertise and body of research to the challenges of homeland security. The Center’s mandate includes research, education, and outreach. Research focuses on understanding the security challenges posed by WMD and on fashioning effective responses thereto. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has designated the Center as the focal point for WMD education in the joint professional military education system. Education programs, including its courses on countering WMD and consequence management, enhance awareness in the next generation of military and civilian leaders of the WMD threat as it relates to defense and homeland security policy, programs, technology, and operations. As a part of its broad outreach efforts, the WMD Center hosts annual symposia on key issues bringing together leaders and experts from the government and private sectors. Visit the center online at http://wmdcenter.ndu.edu. The Soviet Biological Weapons Program and Its Legacy in Today’s Russia Raymond A. Zilinskas Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction Occasional Paper, No. 11 National Defense University Press Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • Next Generation Bioweapons: Genetic Engineering and BW
    Next Generation Bioweapons: Genetic Engineering and BW Michael J. Ainscough US Air Force Counterproliferation Center 14 Future Warfare Series No. 14 CHAPTER 9 Next Generation Bioweapons: Genetic Engineering and BW Michael J. Ainscough Introduction The history of warfare and the history of disease are unquestionably interwoven. Throughout the history of warfare, disease and non-battle injury have accounted for more deaths and loss of combat capability than from actual battle in war itself. The most striking example is the great influenza pandemic during World War I that killed 20 million people or more worldwide in 1918.1 Although this was a naturally occurring event, what if a country could create a biological agent that could yield the same catastrophic loss of life on the enemy? That, in essence, is the potential effect of applying genetic engineering2 for biological warfare (BW) or bioterrorism (BT). Today, we face not only natural diseases (including emerging infectious diseases), but also threats of BW or BT, possibly with genetically engineered agents, that may resist known therapies. In simple terms, genetic engineering is the process of human intervention to transfer functional genes (DNA) between two biological organisms. In the BW/BT context, it is the manipulation of genes to create new pathogenic characteristics (increased survivability, infectivity, virulence, drug resistance, etc). Organisms with altered characteristics are the ―next generation‖ biological weapons. In this century, it is widely predicted that advances in biology and biotechnology will revolutionize society and life as we know it. At the same time, the ―black biology‖ of biotechnology which can be used to 253 Next Generation Bioweapons: Genetic Engineering and BW create biological weapons, will be one of the gravest threats we will face.
    [Show full text]
  • The Soviet Union, Russia, and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
    MICHAEL MOODIE The Soviet Union, Russia, and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention MICHAEL MOODIE Michael Moodie is the co-founder and President of the Chemical and Biological Arms Control Institute (CBACI) in Alexandria, Virginia. He has more than 25-years experience on international security issues both in government and the policy research community. He is a former Assistant Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, where he had responsibility for a range of arms control matters, including negotiations concluding the Chemical Weapons Convention and issues related to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Recently, he was the primary author of the CBACI report, Contagion and Conflict: Health as a Global Security Challenge. Other recent publications include “Fighting the Proliferation of Biological Weapons: Beyond the BWC Protocol,” in Disarmament Forum and Cooperative Security: Implications for National Security and International Relations. he Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention involved in the program in the late 1980s, however, that (BWC) opened for signature in 1972 and entered the United States realized the size and scope of the So- Tinto force in 1975. Article I of the BWC prohib- viet program and elevated the issue of Soviet noncom- its development, production, and stockpiling of “micro- pliance into a major political issue. Although some bial or other biological agents, or toxin whatever their progress was made toward resolution of the problem in origin or method of production, of types and in quanti- the early days of the new Russian Federation, concerns ties that have no justification for prophylactic, protec- about the program remain.
    [Show full text]
  • ANALYZING KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION in SOVIET BIOWEAPONS DEVELOPMENT: a New Approach for Assessing Brain Drain Proliferation Threats
    ANALYZING KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION IN SOVIET BIOWEAPONS DEVELOPMENT: A New Approach for Assessing Brain Drain Proliferation Threats Kathleen M. Vogel Institute of Public Policy – University of New Mexico The National Council for Eurasian and East European Research 910 17th Street, N.W. Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20006 TITLE VIII PROGRAM Project Information* Contractor: University of New Mexico Principal Investigator: Kathleen Vogel Council Contract Number: 817-18h Date: June 9, 2003 I. Copyright Information Individual researchers retain the copyright on their work products derived from research funded through a contract or grant from the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research (NCEEER). However, the NCEEER and the United States Government have the right to duplicate and disseminate, in written and electronic form, reports submitted to NCEEER to fulfill Contract or Grant Agreements either (a) for NCEEER’s own internal use, or (b) for use by the United States Government, and as follows: (1) for further dissemination to domestic, international, and foreign governments, entities and/or individuals to serve official United States Government purposes or (2) for dissemination in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act or other law or policy of the United States Government granting the public access to documents held by the United States Government. Neither NCEEER nor the United States Government nor any recipient of this Report may use it for commercial sale. * The work leading to this report was supported in part by contract or grant funds provided by the National Council for Eurasian and East European Research, funds which were made available by the U.S.
    [Show full text]