Chemical and Biological Warfare

A treaty totally banning biological warfare was drawn up by the Geneva Disarmament Conference in 1971 and approved by the UN General Assembly. Some 80 nations signed the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which the United States ratified in 1974. This treaty is unique because it outlaws the use of a whole class of weapons among most of the nations of the world. Its effectiveness, however, is still questionable; progress in genetic engineering has also complicated this issue. The 1994 BWC has still to finalize a legally binding protocol for all nations. Verification of a ban on biological weapons is far harder to enforce than its chemical equivalent, as biological agents have to be produced in laboratories before antidotes to them can be made; only small amounts of such stocks would be needed by saboteurs.

When a crisis over weapons in Iraq in February 1998 was resolved by an agreement that allowed UN weapons inspectors unconditional access to all sites, world attention was concentrated on the threat of biological weapons. However, the many discoveries made by UNSCOM inspectors made a successful verification programme more possible in the future. The United States have called for the protocol of the 1994 BWC to be finalized, which would include setting up a rigorous biological warfare inspectorate capable of investigating any illegal use of biological agents, and an international network to monitor emerging infectious diseases. These measures are expected to elicit support from governments aware of the dangers of terrorist attack within their boundaries, although the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology industries may oppose intrusive measures.