Biology and chemistry for peace not war
Malcolm Dando
Much has changed since Malcolm Dando's short audio talk (see below) about the challenges of ensuring the potential of modern biotechnology is used for peaceful purposes and does not become a new weapon of war. One that could be targetted at crops and animals, not just people. In this video lecture on Biological Security after the Pandemic, recorded especially for the Food Systems Academy, after introducing the subject Malcolm discussed the threats and responses, advances in biotechnology, the state of the 1975 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and 1995 Chemical Weapons Convention today, and the role of Civil Society. For this he draws on his book The Chemical and Biological Nonproliferation Regime after the Covid-19 Pandemic - Dealing with the Scientific Revolution in the Life Sciences published in March 2023.
This expands on his audio talk where he discusses briefly the history of biological and chemical weapons from the first world war onwards. He focuses on the importance of the 1975 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and 1995 Chemical Weapons Convention today. He discusses the role of national legislation, international action and individual responsibility. For individual researchers in this area it is crucial that they are aware of their responsibilities and are vigilant about the implications of the work they do. This requires better education for scientists about these issues and the challenges it poses for openness in science. He also discusses the issues around DIY biology and bioterrorism.
Please respond to a 60 sec survey after listening
The running order for the podcast is as follows:
In the past: 0 - 3 minutes 0 seconds
In the future: 3 min 0 sec - 5 min 47 sec
The scientific community: 5 min 47 sec - 9 min 37 sec
DIY biology and bioterrorism: 9 min 37 sec - end
(Published 2014)
Further reading
Dando, M.R. (2023) The Chemical and Biological Nonproliferation Regime after the Covid-19 Pandemic - Dealing with the Scientific Revolution in the Live Sciences,Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Dando, M.R. (2006) Bioterror and Biowarfare: A Beginners Guide. Oneworld, Oxford.
Wheelis, M., Rozsa, L. and Dando, M.R. (Eds.) (2006) Deadly Cultures: Bioweapons Since 1945. Harvard University Press, Harvard.
Kelle, A., Nixdorff, K. and Dando, M.R. (2012) Preventing a Biochemical Arms Race. Stanford University Press, Stanford.
Link
Preventing Chemical Warfare: Strengthening the Chemical Weapons Convention
Malcolm Dando is Emeritus Professor of International Security in the Department of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford.
He trained originally as a biologist and after a period in Operational Research joined the Department of Peace Studies in 1979. In Bradford he has worked on issues of arms control, first concentrating on nuclear arms control and then, since 1991, increasingly on biological arms control. Most recently, his work has focussed on education and awareness raising amongst life scientists.
He was co-director of the department's project on strengthening the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. He has published widely on biological warfare, bio-terrorism, non-lethal weapons and related international security issues. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
He has also spent time as the International Institute for Strategic Studies Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Security Research in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.
His publications include The New Biological Weapons (Lynne Rienner, 2001), Preventing Biological Warfare (Palgrave, 2002) and The Chemical and Biological Nonproliferation Regime after the Covid-19 Pandemic - Dealing with the Scientific Revolution in the Life Sciences (Palgrave, 2023).
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Follow-up
If you want to arrange for follow-up with Malcolm Dando via the internet – over Skype or some other service - please contact the FSAc.
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