THE MICROSCOPIC THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES: BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS, BIOLOGICAL TERRORISM, AND THEIR MULTIFACETED IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S. SECURITY

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Date
2014-05-28
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
From 1943 to 1969 the United States had a thriving biological weapons program to develop new ways of targeting its adversaries. With the 1972 creation of the Biological Weapons Convention, the United States relinquished its program and sought to prevent other countries from possessing these lethal weapons. While previously the United States mainly worked with other states and the international community to minimize the threat from biological weapons, the 2001 anthrax attacks changed this landscape by adding a domestic dimension. This thesis explores three major aspects of the biological threat to the United States: domestic lone wolf actors, possible future state threats, and the failing aspects of the Biological Weapons Convention. An analysis of each aspect of the biological threat is performed to identify the role they each may play in future U.S. security decisions. Among the multitude of threats that can arise from biological terrorism and weapons, these particular threats are the most likely to shape future U.S. decision making, both domestically and at the international level. Through an analysis of a specific aspect of the biological threat towards the United States, each chapter illustrates the biological threat to the United States is real, menacing, and must be addressed for the future of U.S. security. Due to continuous changes in technology, domestic terrorism threats, and state-to-state relationships, this thesis highlights the need to acknowledge the importance of the biological threat in order to mitigate the rise of a threat that has tremendous implications for U.S. security and the survival of the U.S. population as a whole.
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Keywords
bioterrorism, biological weapons, biosecurity, biodefense, domestic terrorism, lone wolf, leaderless resistance, Biological Weapons Convention, VEREX, BWC, verification protocol, biological terrorism, biological agents
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