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Unit 3Biological WeaponsChapter 6: Summary and Further Reading
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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Chapter 6

Summary and Further Reading

Summary

Illustration of a virus

Illustration of a virus

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This learning unit has provided an overview of several critical aspects of biological weapons. It covered the key biological agents and delivery systems used in these weapons, detailing their mechanisms and potential impacts. The unit examined the biological weapons programmes of Japan, the United States and the Soviet Union over the 20th century, offering historical context and insights into their development and deployment. Additionally, it assessed the bioterrorism threat and various government responses, highlighting the measures taken to counter these dangers. The international legal framework banning biological weapons and the main challenges of biological disarmament and non-proliferation were also explored, emphasising the ongoing efforts to regulate and eliminate these threats. Lastly, the unit addressed scientific research areas with high misuse potential and the impact of emerging technologies on the threat of biological weapons, as well as efforts to promote responsible science to mitigate these risks.

Reading

Further reflections from the authors:

A podcast with some of the authors:

www.BioWeaponsDisinformationMonitor.com

Further reading and relevant external links

Lentzos, Filippa/Bowsher, Gemma. 2023. “Climate or conflict? Legionnaire’s outbreak in Poland raises questions”, in: The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, 5 October.

Lentzos, Filippa/Francese, Tancredi. 2023. “Biological Weapons Convention: In the crosshairs of geopolitical tensions”, in: Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Part 1; Part 2

King’s College London Global BioLabs Report 2023, March 2023

Lentzos, Filippa. 2022. “Biological weapons are a thing of the past…or are they?”, in: GEN Biotechnology 1 (4): 355–9.

Lentzos, Filippa. 2022. “AI and biological weapons”, in: Schöring Niklas/ Reinhold, Thomas (eds.): Armament, Arms Control and Artificial Intelligence: The Janus-faced nature of machine learning in the military realm. Springer.

Lentzos, Filippa. 2020. “How to protect the world from ultra-targeted biological weapons”, in: The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 76 (6): 302–8.

Lentzos, Filippa. 2016. Biological Threats in the 21st Century: The Politics, People, Science and Historical Roots. Imperial College Press.

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.