National Security and Arms Control in the Age of Biotechnology

The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

By (author) Daniel M. Gerstein

Publication date:

23 May 2013

Length of book:

240 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442223127

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 Deputy Under Secretary in the Department of Homeland Security and Adjunct Professor at American University, traces the origins of the treaty and its many complications, past and present, while prescribing a way for the world’s leaders to move forward with regards to (what Gerstein sees will be and already is) “the most important arms control treaty of the 21^st Century.” This will only become more pronounced as exponential advances in biotechnology continue to occur. The strength and enforcement of the treaty are at a crossroads, and it is important for both professionals and students of the political-military and international affairs to know exactly what a failure to honor, improve and uphold the BWC would mean for international security.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Road to the Biological Weapons Convention
Biotechnology and Its Implications for the BWC
Ten Reasons Why the BWC Matters
Into the Abyss: The Articles of the Convention
The BWC Review Conferences (RevCon) and Special Reviews
To Verify or Not to Verify
The Future of the BWC
Conclusions and the Way Forward
Annex A. The Biological and Toxins Weapons Convention (BWC)
Annex B. Ten Reasons Why the BWC Matters
Annex C. Confidence Building Measures
Annex D. Arms Control Definitions
Annex E. Principles of Verification
Annex F. U.S. Ambassador Donald Mahley's Statement
Annex G. National Implementation
Biography
Endnotes

Whether senior statesmen or student, Gerstein's book provides the reader with a cogent analysis of the challenges ahead in the "age of biotechnology." While far from a panacea, he builds a compelling case that the BWC is the best mechanism we have for containing this rapidly emerging threat. This well-written work will be of great value to practitioners and the academic community.