Biological weapons – CSS Blog Network

Trust and Transparency: Antidotes against Corona Conspiracies

Image courtesy of United Nations COVID-19 Response/Unsplash

This blog belongs to the CSS’ coronavirus blog series, which forms a part of the center’s analysis of the security policy implications of the coronavirus crisis. See the CSS special theme page on the coronavirus for more.

Many theories are circling around the origin of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Although scientists agree that the virus has not been manipulated, rumors persist about the possibility that it leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan or that it is a biological weapon. The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) bans biological weapons, but lacks effective control mechanisms. Strengthening the BTWC could help in reducing the uncertainty that provides a basis for conspiracy theories.

CSS Analysis: Progress in Biotechnology as a Future Security Policy Challenge

bio — The next frontier of security policy? photo: Krystian "Krane" Schneidewind/flickr

In the newest CSS Analysis, Progress in Biotechnology as a Future Security Policy Challenge, Sergio Bonin examines how biotechnological advances might impact security policy in the future.

He notes: “If the synthetic construction and modification of bacteria and viruses should become a reality, a broad range of useful applications in medicine, environmental protection, and other fields would be facilitated. At the same time, however, constructing biological weapons could become easier, and the necessary skills would be available to a larger spectrum of actors. It seems advisable to explore preventive countermeasures at an early stage.”

For more, check out our Digital Library resources on biotechnology.