Twenty-first century perspectives on the Biological Weapon Convention: Continued relevance or toothless paper tiger

Abstract

The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), which bans the development, production, and stockpiling of biological agents for purposes and in quantities that have no justification for peaceful purposes, has been successful in bolstering the near universal norms against the use of biological weapons, despite lacking an enforcement mechanism. The few historical examples of biological weapons use were mostly small-scale operations employed in internal security operations or assassinations. Although there are concerns about a potential threat from state or non-state actors due to emerging technological capabilities in the life sciences, it is unlikely that states will use biological weapons offensively given their limited utility in modern warfare. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the folly of biological warfare and the indiscriminating nature of disease agents. – AI-generated abstract.