Biological Weapons

Coronavirus, Weapon of Mass Destruction?

By (author) DR. U C Jha, Dr K Ratnabali

Publication date:

01 February 2021

Publisher

VIJ Books (India) Pty Ltd

ISBN-13: 9788194697466

BOOK DESCRIPTION
TABLE OF CONTENTS

The threat of biological weapons has been worrying about the armed forces, as well as political leaders for quite some time. With the global recorded deaths from COVID-19 surpassing one million, the biotechnological revolution has heightened the fear of future weaponized pathogens. The COVID-19 virus or its variant could be the most effective weapon for future biological warfare. The indiscriminate effect of such a weapon and its power to cripple economies and devastate the lives of people may make it attractive to rogue States and non-State actors. This book provides an updated analysis of biological warfare agents, including the COVID-19 virus, biotechnological developments affecting biological agents, and the legal regime responsible for preventing the use of biological weapons.

Preface Chapter - I Biological Weapons: An Introduction Chapter - II History of Biological Weapons Chapter - III The Biological Weapons: Threat from Pathogens Chapter - IV The Biological Weapons: Threat from Coronavirus Chapter - V The Biological Weapons: Impact of New Technology Chapter - VI The Biological Weapons Prohibition Regime Chapter - VII The Way Ahead Appendices Appendix A Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare, 17 June 1925. Appendix B Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction, 10 April 1972 Appendix C The Weapons of Mass Destruction and Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Act, 2005 Appendix D Principles of International Law Recognized in the Charter of the Nuremberg Tribunal and in the Judgment of the Tribunal, 1950 Bibliography Index