Scientific Change and the Security Environment: Biotechnology and security to 2025
Article
Developments in the life and associated sciences are going to make it increasingly cheap and easy for more and more states, sub-state groups and individuals to do greater and greater harm. Furthermore, the historical record suggests that it will be very difficult to stop major hostile applications of this powerful technology.
The old distinctions between chemical and biological weapons have become increasingly meaningless as chemistry becomes indistinguishable from biology, and it is important to grasp the fact that these weapons are not just potential weapons of mass destruction, but can be used on a range of lesser scales. And the prevailing conditions to 2025 could be conducive to a resurgence of these weapons - unless very strenuous efforts are made to prevent that happening.
Related items
Dr Parth Patel on BBC Politics Live - July 2024
IPPR's Dr Parth Patel on BBC Politics Live discussing the new Labour government, Covid, migration and international affairsA ‘mandate’ to deliver: Who voted Labour and what do they want?
This year’s general election saw the Labour party achieve a historic landslide, winning 218 new seats and a comfortable majority in the House of Commons.Half of us: Turnout patterns at the 2024 general election
One-half of adults in this country voted at the 2024 general election, the lowest share of the population to vote since universal suffrage.