An Introduction to Biological Weapons, their Prohibition, and the Relationship to Biosafety

This report is an introduction to biological weapons and biological weapons control for persons familiar with biosafety and biodiversity issues. It provides a biological weapons history and discusses the future of biological weapons and their prohibition.About the author: Many biological weapons are rapidly destroyed by bright sunlight. The Sunshine Project works to bring facts about biological weapons to light! It is an international non-profit organization with offices in Hamburg, Germany and Austin, Texas, USA. It works agianst the hostile use of biotechnology in the post-Cold War era. Through its research and publications it seeks to strengthen the global consensus against biological warefare and to ensure that international treaties effectively prevent development and use of biological weapons.CONTENTS1. Introduction2. What is biological warfare?3. Biowarfare in history4. The biotechnology revolution and biological weapons5. The international ban on biological weapons6. Biosafety and biosecurity – Links and synergies7. Preliminary recommendations8. Notes9. Annexes1. Suggested reading2. The biological and toxic weapons convention3. BTWC state parties4. The Australia Group export control lists