The international bioweapons regime must be strengthened, not exploited in geopolitical competition

• Main Authors: Zhukoff, Karolina, Biberman, Yelena
• Other Authors: S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
• Format: Commentary
• Language: English
• Published: 2024
• Subjects: Social Sciences; Country and region studies; International politics and security
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/180929
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Emerging biotechnologies make this a critical time for updating and strengthening the international bioweapons regime. However, international cooperation on biosecurity is becoming increasingly difficult. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, biological weapons have become a trope in the war of narratives between Moscow and Washington. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s new biotechnology strategy explicitly singles out Russia as a bad actor. International cooperation, not blocs, is required to confront the emerging problems of biosecurity, from genetic modification to enhanced pathogens of pandemic potential.