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Bioterror's Argument Against Bioweapons

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For all the global oversight against bioweapons, this threat remains especially pernicious. A unique aspect of bioterror is that it can be difficult to tell the difference between naturally occurring disease and accidents, and an intentional attack. For this reason, a biological attack would require a huge level of coordination among federal, state and local public health and security officials. In addition, bioweapons do not have to be naturally occurring – toxins and deadly organisms can be produced in a lab. Growing large amounts of an agent is possible, although equipment, space, safety, and technical knowledge all play a role. The threat is that creating a bioweapon often requires techniques that are already published in scientific literature. Additionally, the equipment required is somewhat easily obtained, since it is required for legitimate research. This creates a perplexing “dual-use” problem, wherein it is hard to create restrictions against bioweapons without inhibiting industry. Biological WMDs are relatively simple to conceal, …show more content…

It is a growing concern that terrorists could create and use, not necessarily a nuclear bomb, but a radiological or “dirty” bomb. This weapon is unique in that it has never been used- they have traditionally been considered inappropriate for military use, but it is thought that terrorist groups might favor them for the power to shock. The norm against state-sponsored nuclear attacks is well established, and except from preventing nuclear power from being obtained by rogue states, the world is for the most part considered comfortably safe from a traditional atomic attack. Nuclear threats to the population are more likely to arise from accidents such as the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan. In 1980, a maintenance accident at the Titan II missile facility in Damascus, Arkansas, nearly caused an unprecedented

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