Can this treaty be saved? | David Hoffman
Military • 1/21/11 10:47:37 am • Views: 336
Lost in the brouhaha surrounding ratification of the new START treaty is the real threat posed by bio-warfare weapons. Read the opinion piece; click the links to more information on arms control.
When the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention was first signed in the 1970s, it was hailed as a step forward in disarmament. There was no effective enforcement mechanism, but at least the major powers had agreed to outlaw germ warfare. In the years since, it has became clear that the lack of enforcement left gaping holes. The agreement failed to prevent the Soviet Union, aparthied-era South Africa and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq from pursuing secret biological weapons programs.
