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Unit 3Biological Weapons
All chapters
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. Biological weapons basics
  3. 3. Biological Warfare and Bioterrorism
  4. 4. The Norm against Biological Weapons
  5. 5. Scientific advances and the misuse of biology
  6. 6. Summary and Further Reading
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Picture of a hand in gloves holding a bio-stock.

Above: Bio-stock

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Biological Weapons

This learning unit addresses the challenges to prevent acts of biowarfare and bioterrorism in an era of rapid advances and diffusion of sensitive biotechnologies.

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Chapters

  1. 1. Introduction

  2. 2. Biological weapons basics

  3. 3. Biological Warfare and Bioterrorism

  4. 4. The Norm against Biological Weapons

  5. 5. Scientific advances and the misuse of biology

  6. 6. Summary and Further Reading

Learning Objectives

Learning objectives

The Ebola crisis in West Africa (2014–2016) and especially the Corona pandemic in the early 2020s reminded us of the challenge to contain and manage pandemic diseases in a globalised and interconnected world. Although the Ebola outbreak was a naturally occurring epidemic, terrorist organisations or states could create ‘man-made’ pandemics in the form of biological weapons (BW) in the future.

This learning unit addresses the challenges to prevent acts of biowarfare and bioterrorism in an era of rapid advances and diffusion of sensitive biotechnologies.

After completing this learning unit, you will:

  • understand the technical foundations of BW
  • have an overview of historical BW programmes
  • comprehend the nature of bioterrorism
  • be familiar with the political context of biological weapons
  • have better knowledge of the international legal framework aimed at prohibiting the possession and use of BW

Credits

  • Filippa Lentzos profile image

    Filippa Lentzos

    King's College London

    Dr Filippa Lentzos is Reader (Associate Professor) in Science & International Security at King’s College London, with a joint appointment in the Department of War Studies and in the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine. She is also an Associate Senior Researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in Sweden and a Non-Resident Scholar at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) in the United States.

    Lentzos serves as the NGO Coordinator for the Biological Weapons Convention. She is a member of the UK Biosecurity Leadership Council and of the WHO Health Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG). She also serves as an adviser and mentor on the Young Women in Non-Proliferation and Disarmament mentorship programme, and as an advisory board member at the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP) in Austria.

    A biologist and social scientist by training, Lentzos has researched and been actively involved in biological disarmament and non-proliferation for over two decades. For more about her work, see www.filippalentzos.com

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Disclosures

Content Warning

This learning unit may contain audio-visual material or texts, which may not be suitable for all audiences.

Funding

This Learning Unit was produced with financial assistance from the European Union. The contents of this Learning Unit are however the sole responsibility of the author(s) and should under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.

External Links

The site may contain hyperlink text references (’Links’) to other sites that are offered by third parties. These Links are made available solely for the purpose of information and as an additional service for users. Only the respective operator is responsible for all content and statements on linked Internet sites. Therefore, PRIF cannot guarantee the correctness and accuracy or any other aspect of third party sites.

Preferred Citation

Filippa Lentzos, "Biological Weapons" in EUNPDC eLearning, ed. Niklas Schörnig, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Available at https://eunpdc-elearning.netlify.app/lu-03/, last modified 5 May 2025

Editorial Note

This is a beta version of the learning unit, which is regularly optimised. Please report any factual errors or discrepancies to the publisher. (support(at)nonproliferation-elearning.eu). Please note that although the original text was written by the authors, the video production and simplifications were carried out by PRIF.

The EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament eLearning Course aims to cover all aspects of the EU non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. It's produced by PRIF with financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of individual learning units are the sole responsibility of the respective authors and don't necessariy reflect the position of the European Union.