Chilling history of biological and chemical weaponry from WWI to
the present. Rather than preaching a passionate sermon against
evil, Guillemin (Sociology/Boston College; Security Studies
Program/MIT; Anthrax, 1999) coolly marshals her facts to provide a
chronology of names, dates, experiments, mistakes and sometimes
deliberate use of biowarfare by major powers. She also covers the
concomitant international moves toward control: the Geneva
Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Biological Weapons
Convention, and sundry national laws and international agreements
aimed at destroying stockpiles and empowering international
inspections. New to some readers will be details about Japan's use
of plague to decimate civilian populations in Manchuria during the
1930s, Russian outbreaks of smallpox and inhalational anthrax in
towns near bioweapons factories, and major British and French
biowarfare programs based on fears that Hitler would launch such
assaults. (Surprisingly, those fears were unfounded.) Most
disturbing of all is the story of America's ventures into
bioweaponry. The post-WWII buildup of anthrax, smallpox, tularemia,
hemorrhagic fevers, cholera, botulinum toxin, and other biological
agents went on until Nixon's 1969 renunciation of bioweapons, which
opened an era of dismantling programs. But after the end of the
Cold War and the emergence of the US as sole superpower, America
started withdrawing from multilateral agreements. Growing concerns
about bioterrorism led to public-health preparedness programs and
biodefense research. The buildup grew after 9/ll-and so did
secrecy, communication controls and failures, a lack of
accountability, a growing distrust of the government by the public
and of the US by the world: exactly the ingredients that can fuel
bioterrorism. Guillemin advocates transparency, improving
international relations to increase mutual trust, and freely shared
information. The author doesn't quite tell us to abandon all hope,
but it's certainly not reassuring to read how easily governments
move from defensive programs against bioweapons to offensive use
and abuse. (Kirkus Reviews)
Until the events of September 11 and the anthrax attacks of
2001, biological weapons had never been a major public concern in
the United States. Today, the possibility of their use by
terrorists against Western states looms large as an international
security concern. In "Biological Weapons," Jeanne Guillemin
provides a highly accessible and compelling account of the
circumstances under which scientists, soldiers, and statesmen were
able to mobilize resources for extensive biological weapons
programs and also analyzes why such weapons, targeted against
civilians, were never used in a major conflict.
This book is essential for understanding the relevance of the
historical restraints placed on the use of biological weapons for
today's world. It serves as an excellent introduction to the
problems biological weapons pose for contemporary policymakers and
public officials, particularly in the United States. How can we
best deter the use of such weapons? What are the resulting policies
of the Department of Homeland Security? How can we constrain
proliferation? Jeanne Guillemin wisely points out that these are
vitally important questions for all Americans to consider and
investigate -- all the more so because the development of these
weapons has been carried out under a veil of secrecy, with their
frightening potential open to exploitation by the media and
government. Public awareness through education can help calm fears
in today's tension-filled climate and promote constructive
political action to reduce the risks of a biological weapons
catastrophe.
"Biological Weapons" is required reading for every concerned
citizen, government policymaker, public health official, and
national security analyst who wants to understand this complex and
timely issue.
General
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