National Security and Arms Control in the Age of Biotechnology

National Security and Arms Control in the Age of Biotechnology PDF Author: Daniel M. Gerstein
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1442223138
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
This book accessibly and expertly details the history and implications of the BWC—the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention—a controversial arms control agreement drafted in the 1970’s meant to supplement the Geneva protocol for warfare from decades earlier. That treaty banned the use of biological weapons in modern warfare, but failed to ban their development, transport or trafficking, holes the BWC aimed to fill, but are still contested to this day. Daniel M. Gerstein, a former Army Colonel and current Under Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, traces the origins of the treaty and its many complications, past and present, while prescribing a way for the world’s military leaders to move forward with regards to (what Gerstein sees will be and already is) “the most important arms control treaty of the 21st Century.” The strength and enforcement of the treaty are at a crossroads, and it is important for both professionals and students of the military and international affairs to know exactly what a failure to honor, improve and uphold the BWC would mean for international security.

National Security and Arms Control in the Age of Biotechnology

National Security and Arms Control in the Age of Biotechnology PDF Author: Daniel M. Gerstein
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 1442223138
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 254

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Book Description
This book accessibly and expertly details the history and implications of the BWC—the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention—a controversial arms control agreement drafted in the 1970’s meant to supplement the Geneva protocol for warfare from decades earlier. That treaty banned the use of biological weapons in modern warfare, but failed to ban their development, transport or trafficking, holes the BWC aimed to fill, but are still contested to this day. Daniel M. Gerstein, a former Army Colonel and current Under Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security, traces the origins of the treaty and its many complications, past and present, while prescribing a way for the world’s military leaders to move forward with regards to (what Gerstein sees will be and already is) “the most important arms control treaty of the 21st Century.” The strength and enforcement of the treaty are at a crossroads, and it is important for both professionals and students of the military and international affairs to know exactly what a failure to honor, improve and uphold the BWC would mean for international security.

Arms Control Without Arms Control

Arms Control Without Arms Control PDF Author: Guy B. Roberts
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biological arms control
Languages : en
Pages : 132

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Book Description
This is the 49th volume in the Occasional Paper series of the U.S. Air Force Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Among the many dimensions of national security that face unprecedented changes and challenges after the end of the Cold War, arms control has been as directly affected as any other dimension. The formal, bilateral, and verification-based arms control that was so central to that former period fits neither the new environment nor the expanded focus beyond the strategic nuclear arena. In this paper, Guy Roberts presents yet another of his insightful explanations and analyses of the adaptations and new directions that are required to give arms control continued relevance today and tomorrow. This thorough analysis of the special case of biological warfare controls follows his January 2001 INSS Occasional Paper 36, "This Arms Control Dog Won't Hunt: The Proposed Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty at the Conference on Disarmament," in chronicling both the failure of continuing emphasis on formal Cold War-type arms control products and the enduring centrality of cooperative arms control processes in the current national security environment. In Roberts' line of argument, arms control is indeed dead, yet arms control can and must be reborn in the form of a wide range of integrally linked and multifaceted legal, diplomatic, economic, and military instruments to effectively fight the spread and use of dangerous weapons and systems.

The Future of Arms Control

The Future of Arms Control PDF Author: Michael A. Levi
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780815797555
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 216

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Book Description
Arms control, for decades at the core of the foreign policy consensus, today is among the more contentious issues in American politics. It is pilloried and considered out of mode in many conservative quarters, while being viewed as nearly sacrosanct in many liberal circles. In this new book, Michael Levi and Michael O'Hanlon argue that neither the left nor the right has a correct view of the proper utility of arms control in the age of terror. Arms control in the traditional sense--lengthy treaties to limit nuclear and other military competitions among the great powers--is no longer particularly useful. Nor should arms control be pursued as a means to the end of constraining the power of nations or of promoting global government. It is still a critical tool, though, for controlling dangerous technologies, particularly those that, in the hands of hostile states or terrorist organizations, could cause massive death and destruction. Arms control and coercive action, including military force, must be integrated into an overall strategy for preventing proliferation, now more than ever before. Arms control should be used to gain earlier warning of illicit activities inside dangerous states, allowing the international community to take coercive action in a timely way. The authors propose three new criteria to guide future arms control efforts, designed to respond to today's geopolitical realities. Arms control must focus on the dangers of catastrophic technology, not so much in the hands of major powers as of small states and terrorist groups. Their criteria lead to a natural focus on nuclear and biological technologies. Much tougher measures to prevent countries from gaining nuclear weapons technoloty while purportedly complying with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and procedures for controlling dangerous biological technologies will be most prominent in this framework, while lower priority is giben to efforts such as bilateral nuclear accords and most t

Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism

Biotechnology Research in an Age of Terrorism PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309089778
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 164

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Book Description
In recent years much has happened to justify an examination of biological research in light of national security concerns. The destructive application of biotechnology research includes activities such as spreading common pathogens or transforming them into even more lethal forms. Policymakers and the scientific community at large must put forth a vigorous and immediate response to this challenge. This new book by the National Research Council recommends that the government expand existing regulations and rely on self-governance by scientists rather than adopt intrusive new policies. One key recommendation of the report is that the government should not attempt to regulate scientific publishing but should trust scientists and journals to screen their papers for security risks, a task some journals have already taken up. With biological information and tools widely distributed, regulating only U.S. researchers would have little effect. A new International Forum on Biosecurity should encourage the adoption of similar measures around the world. Seven types of risky studies would require approval by the Institutional Biosafety Committees that already oversee recombinant DNA research at some 400 U.S. institutions. These "experiments of concern" include making an infectious agent more lethal and rendering vaccines powerless.

Biotechnology, Security and the Search for Limits

Biotechnology, Security and the Search for Limits PDF Author: B. Rappert
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 023022315X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
Biotechnology, Security and the Search for Limits examines the post 9/11 security implications for life science research as well as the methodological issues associated with conducting social research. In doing so the book considers the place of biological and social research in creating and responding to societal problems.

Arms Control, Disarmament, and National Security

Arms Control, Disarmament, and National Security PDF Author: Donald G. Brennan
Publisher: New York : G. Braziller
ISBN:
Category : Arms control
Languages : en
Pages : 488

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Book Description
"Based on a special issue (fall 1960) of Daedalus." Bibliography: p. 457-470.

Bio-Inspired Innovation and National Security

Bio-Inspired Innovation and National Security PDF Author: National Defense University
Publisher: NDU Press
ISBN: 1780390408
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
Despite the vital importance of the emerging area of biotechnology and its role in defense planning and policymaking, no definitive book has been written on the topic for the defense policymaker, the military student, and the private-sector bioscientist interested in the "emerging opportunities market" of national security. This edited volume is intended to help close this gap and provide the necessary backdrop for thinking strategically about biology in defense planning and policymaking. This volume is about applications of the biological sciences, here called "biologically inspired innovations," to the military. Rather than treating biology as a series of threats to be dealt with, such innovations generally approach the biological sciences as a set of opportunities for the military to gain strategic advantage over adversaries. These opportunities range from looking at everything from genes to brains, from enhancing human performance to creating renewable energy, from sensing the environment around us to harnessing its power.

Science and Security in a Post 9/11 World

Science and Security in a Post 9/11 World PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309111919
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 136

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Book Description
Based on a series of regional meetings on university campuses with officials from the national security community and academic research institutions, this report identifies specific actions that should be taken to maintain a thriving scientific research environment in an era of heightened security concerns. Actions include maintaining the open exchange of scientific information, fostering a productive environment for international scholars in the U.S., reexamining federal definitions of sensitive but unclassified research, and reviewing policies on deemed export controls. The federal government should establish a standing entity, preferably a Science and Security Commission, that would review policies regarding the exchange of information and the participation of foreign-born scientists and students in research.

Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of the Life Sciences

Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of the Life Sciences PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309164753
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description
Biomedical advances have made it possible to identify and manipulate features of living organisms in useful ways-leading to improvements in public health, agriculture, and other areas. The globalization of scientific and technical expertise also means that many scientists and other individuals around the world are generating breakthroughs in the life sciences and related technologies. The risks posed by bioterrorism and the proliferation of biological weapons capabilities have increased concern about how the rapid advances in genetic engineering and biotechnology could enable the production of biological weapons with unique and unpredictable characteristics. Globalization, Biosecurity, and the Future of Life Sciences examines current trends and future objectives of research in public health, life sciences, and biomedical science that contain applications relevant to developments in biological weapons 5 to 10 years into the future and ways to anticipate, identify, and mitigate these dangers.

The Evolution of Arms Control

The Evolution of Arms Control PDF Author: Richard Dean Burns
Publisher: Weapons of Mass Destruction and Emerging Technologies
ISBN: 9781442223790
Category : Arms control
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Written in an engaging and accessible manner, The Evolution of Arms Control weds an inductive analysis of arms control systems to a general history of arms control from 883 BCE to the present. Comparing past and present challenges, it highlights recurring issues such as negotiation, verification, and compliance.