Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs - Chemical and biological weapons

Terrorism, War, or Disease? Unraveling the Use of Biological Weapons

Anne L. Clunan, Peter R. Lavoy and Susan B. Martin — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:55:10 -0500

The use of biological warfare (BW) agents by states or terrorists is one of the world's most frightening security threats but, thus far, little attention has been devoted to understanding how to improve policies and procedures to identify and attribute BW events. Terrorism, War, or Disease? is the first book to examine the complex political, military, legal, and scientific challenges involved in determining when BW have been used and who has used them.

The Yellow Rain Affair: Lessons from a Discredited Allegation

Matthew Meselson and Julian Perry Robinson — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:15:25 -0500

"U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, in a speech in West Berlin in September 1981 and in a detailed report to the Congress the following March, charged Soviet-backed Laotian and Vietnamese forces with waging toxin warfare against Hmong resistance fighters and their villages in Laos and against Khmer Rouge soldiers and villages in Cambodia. The charges were repeated with additional details in a further report to the Congress and to the member states of the United Nations in November 1982 by Haig's successor, Secretary of State George Shultz.

The investigation on which the allegation was based, however, failed to employ reliable methods of witness interrogation or of forensic laboratory investigation; it was further marred by the dismissal and withholding of contrary evidence and a lack of independent review. When the evidence for toxin attacks or any other form of chemical/biological warfare (CBW) was subjected to more careful examination, it could not be confirmed or was discredited. In what became known as the "Yellow Rain" affair, these charges — that toxic substances called trichothecenes were used in CBW — were initially pressed vigorously by the U.S. government and, even when the allegations proved unsustainable, they were not withdrawn...."

The Day After: Action Following a Nuclear Blast in a U.S. City

Dr. Ashton B. Carter, Dr. William J. Perry and Dr. Michael M. May — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Failure to develop a comprehensive contingency plan, such as the one proposed here, and inform the American public, where appropriate, about its particulars will only serve to amplify the devastating impact of any nuclear attack on a U.S. city

How to Counter WMD

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Ashton B. Carter contributes a chapter to McGraw-Hill's new volume on Weapons of Mass Destruction and Terrorism.

Decontamination and Remediation after a Dirty Bomb Attack

Jennifer C. Bulkeley — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Article in The Nonproliferation Review

The Belfer Center and Nuclear Weapons Policy: Security in the Post-Cold War Era

Steven E. Miller — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"The efforts that the Center has made in addressing the nuclear challenges of the post-Cold War era are anchored in the books that it has produced on the major dimensions of the problem."

The Iraq Experiment and US National Security

Steven E. Miller — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

This article was prepared for a Council on Foreign Relations/International Institute for Strategic Studies Symposium on Iraq's Impact on the Future of US Foreign and Defence Policy, with generous support from Rita E. Hauser.

Weapons Lab

Matthew Meselson — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0600

"The lack of transparency in U.S. biodefense work is fostering a widespread perception that we are secretly developing novel threat agents and exploring novel bioweapons concepts. This constitutes a kind of psychological proliferation that risks eroding the constraints against military and paramilitary use of biological weapons. And aside from security considerations, secrecy in biological research will impede rather than foster the discovery and development of practical methods of prophylaxis and therapy of infective disease."

The Greek Paradox: Promise vs. Performance

Graham Allison and Kalypso Nicolaidis — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0600

December 31, 2006

As a bridge between the East and West, a pole of stability in the Balkans, and a Mediterranean crossroads, Greece could play a significant role in the post-Cold War world. But Greece's performance in domestic and international policy falls short of this promise. The essays in The Greek Paradox look at some of the reasons for this gap and suggest possible political and economic reforms.

Preventing the Misuse of Biology: Lessons from the Oversight of Smallpox Virus Research

Jonathan B. Tucker — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0500

A delicate balance exists between the benefits of biotechnology research and the downside of making it widely available. If the international community does not establish a better system of governance to oversee and protect the research process, determined terrorist groups could exploit this research to develop their own biological weapons. The successes and failures of the World Health Organization's supervision of all research done with the live smallpox virus provide valuable lessons for future cooperative international governance.

Finishing the War on Terrorism

Bob Graham — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 00:00:00 -0500

THE US SENATE has just completed a contentious and partisan debate on when and under what conditions America should withdraw its troops from Iraq. Within hours of the debate's end, the White House indicated it was developing a plan to draw down troop levels in Iraq, beginning as early as this fall. Iraq was a distraction from our primary threats. Our country has paid a high price in lives, national honor, and resources for that mistake.

A Nuclear Terrorism Report Card

Graham Allison — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

In the first debate of the 2004 presidential campaign, the moderator asked the two candidates: What is the single most serious threat to American national security? Both answered: nuclear terrorism.

Panel: Preventing Acquisition and/or Use of WMD by Hostile State or Non-State Actors

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0600

March 17, 2006

Carter discusses the Bush Administration's failure to propose an adequate strategy for combating WMD in the 2006 QDR.

Panel: New Approaches for Addressing the Threat of WMD Proliferation

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0500

October 21, 2005

Remarks by Ashton B. Carter at the Conference on "Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current Challenges and New Approaches," at Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy.

Appointments That Disappoint

Juliette Kayyem — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 00:00:00 -0500

September 12, 2005

At the very least, Congress should reconsider its position of "once approved, always approved."

Protecting Liberty in an Age of Terror

Juliette Kayyem — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Since September 11, 2001, much has been said about the difficult balancing act between freedom and security, but few have made specific proposals for how to strike that balance. As the scandals over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib and the "torture memos" written by legal officials in the Bush administration show, without clear rules in place, things can very easily go very wrong.

BELFER CENTER HOSTS HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY CHERTOFF

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0500

August 25, 2005

A War by Any Other Name

Juliette Kayyem — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0500

July 28, 2005

It was President Bush himself who insisted on calling it a global war on terror. He wanted to indicate that this was not just another piddling law enforcement action, but an all-out, full-scale military response to Sept. 11 that would involve U.S. troops around the globe. But now, apparently, a decision has been made that the language of war isn't working for him anymore. So in recent days, the "global war on terror" has been shelved in favor of the "global struggle against violent extremism."

All Weapons of Mass Destruction are Not Equal

Allison Macfarlane — Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0500

June 30, 2005

Worst People and Worst Weapons

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0500

June 27, 2005

Dr. Ashton B. Carter testifies before the 9/11 Public Discourse Project's hearings on "The 9/11 Commission Report: The Unfinished Agenda."

Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction

Mon, 27 Jun 2005 00:00:00 -0500

June 27, 2005

9/11 Public Discourse Project holds panel discussion on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

A Failure of Policy, Not Spying

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0500

April 5, 2005

The fallacy in the Bush administration's appointment of a commission to study intelligence failures is that there is almost never such a thing as a pure intelligence failure. Intelligence failure is usually linked to policy failure.

The Essential Features of a Focused Strategy to Deal with the Proliferation Challenge: What Has Been Done and What Is to Be Done?

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Fri, 01 Apr 2005 00:00:00 -0600

Dr. Ashton B. Carter contributes a chapter to the Aspen Strategy Group's book examining the global proliferation threat and the policy tools at hand to prevent catastrophe.

Iraq Lessons Can Avoid Disaster in Iran

Joseph S. Nye — Thu, 31 Mar 2005 00:00:00 -0600

March 31, 2005

Book Review: Fatal Future? Transnational Terrorism and the New Global Disorder by Richard M. Pearlstein

Assaf Moghadam — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0600

The Threat from Rogue States

Robert Rotberg — Sat, 06 Nov 2004 00:00:00 -0600

November 6, 2004

After Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush's foremost policy challenge is posed by rogue states, that is, states that threaten the United States and world peace.

Overhauling Counterproliferation Intelligence

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Mon, 04 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0500

October 4, 2004

Dr. Ashton B. Carter testifies before the Robb-Silberman Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction.

FILLING THE GAPS IN U.S. HOMELAND SECURITY: A To-Do List for the U.S. Government to Keep America Safe from Terrorism

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 -0500

September 1, 2004

How to Counter WMD

Dr. Ashton B. Carter — Tue, 31 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0500

Dr. Ashton B. Carter explains the counterproliferation policies needed to successfully wage a war on Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The Eight Spoke Loudly, and Did Little

Graham Allison — Sat, 12 Jun 2004 00:00:00 -0500

At the current rate, the global partnership will not secure Russia's loose nukes until 2017.