ISSUE AREAS:

Description of BASIC's Program
History of BW and the BWC
BASIC Publications
Other Publications
BW Advocacy
Links

Latest Addition

Statement to the November 17-18, 2003 Meeting of the Advisory Panel To Assess the Capabilities for Domestic Response to Terrorist Attacks Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, (PDF), by David Isenberg.

The Hunt for Chemical and Biological Weapons in Iraq, (PDF), A BASIC Special Briefing, which will be continually updated as events unfold, 30 April 2003.

Quick Reference Guide to Biological Technology Equipment
By David Isenberg, December 2002.

A BASIC Guide to Biological Weapons by Michael Crowley and David Grahame, August 2002 Edition.

Description of BASIC's Biological Weapons Program

The anthrax attacks and hoaxes in the United States have greatly increased global concern over the risk of biological warfare and particularly bio-terrorism. However, there is very little realistic hope that the Bush Administration will reverse its stand and permit negotiations on a Protocol for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) to resume in the Ad Hoc Group in Geneva. It will be at least three years and possibly seven before any U.S. administration will examine seriously the case for strengthening the BWC with a legally binding instrument. Urgent consideration is needed of what might be done during these coming years to make BW proliferation and use less likely and - perhaps - to prepare the way for a renewed effort to strengthen the global regime.

BASIC initiated research and advocacy on the BWC and Protocol in 2001. Disease by Design: De-mystifying the Biological Weapons Debate analyzed the true dangers of bio-weapons proliferation and use from terrorists and from state-sponsored weapons programs and recommended several key steps to strengthening the BWC. In advance of the Fifth Review Conference, the report was sent to all country delegations and to journalists, NGOs and government officials around the world. It was complemented by a public and media information leaflet on the issue published in October 2001, and updated and reprinted in August 2002: A BASIC Guide to Biological Weapons Control.

In 2002/3 the aim is to develop and launch a full-scale research and advocacy project in this area.

BASIC's Strategic goal
To increase public awareness in the United States and Europe of the problems and dangers of BW proliferation and the opportunities for developing national, regional and global responses.

BASIC's Specific project objectives

• To work with U.S. and European organizations to build an effective transatlantic coalition to enforce prohibition of biological weapons.
  
  
• To act as a repository for new thinking on BW control issues and a center of excellence in assessing the feasibility of new policy proposals and initiatives in this area.
  
  
• To encourage the U.S. administration to rejoin negotiations for international and legally-binding measures to strengthen the BWC.
  
  
• To facilitate a number of study groups for independently assessing the feasibility of current BW control proposals.
  
  
• To seek development of stronger regional bio-weapon controls in the EU.

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