- The Politics Of Biological Weapons
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- The 21st century has inherited a number of unsettled
problems from the 20th century: terrorism, which has already gained an
incredible scale; the countless number of hot spots on the planet; and
the threat of a biological war. The world isnât ready for a biological
attack, and the anthrax scare in America was an obvious confirmation of
this. The mass media were so focused on the problem, which in its turn
caused a mass psychosis among the population. A biological weapon is an
instrument for big-scale politics, and the USA openly demonstrates it (Washington
thinks that the notorious ãaxis of evilä countries hold biological
weapons.)
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- No evidence is required; accusations are hurled at a
country, and then its up to this country to prove its innocence. This is
happening to Iraq, North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. This phobia is actively
exploited not only by the political establishment, as Hollywood is also
playing the game. Youâve probably also heard about the new fashion
trends: people have started wearing ties with the biological cultures of
anthrax, smallpox, plague, etc.
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- The threat (or pseudo-threat) of a biological war is
actively discussed on the top level. Talks designed to protect the world
from the supposed increasing threat of biological war are to be recommenced
in Geneva. About a year ago, consultations on the problem were suspended
because Americans refused to participate in them. The countries that signed
the 1972 Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention have been trying for several
years already to make the convention prohibiting development and production
of biological weapons work. The convention signed during the cold war was
a mere declaration in fact: no measures for the realization of the convention
were mentioned in the document at all. In December 2001, after many efforts
spend on making the convention effective, Americans abandoned the negotiations,
which shocked the world community. The USA says that the system suggested
by the convention for control over enterprises in the biological sphere
is ineffective and may entail violations, and these violations in their
turn will endanger Americaâs national security, the BBC reports.
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- The USA wonât sign the convention because it would
have to open its laboratories to inspection, which very undesirable for
America. Instead, Washington follows the trite principle that the best
defense is an offense and accuses other countries of holding biological
weapons. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday with reference to sources
in the US special services that Iraq, North Korea, Russia, and France hold
secret smallpox viruses.
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- The American military is developing new-generation bacteriological
weapons, which is a serious violation of international agreements on the
prohibition of these kind of weapons. The Guardian informs that the statement
was made by respected experts on both sides of the Atlantic. Professor
Malcolm Dando, from the University of Bradford, and microbiologist Mark
Wheelis, from the University of California, are sure that the USA is continuing
to develop cluster bombs with biological components, with anthrax cultures
for instance. The Guardian reports that the scientists point out the obvious
contradictions in the domestic and foreign policies of the USA, which is
ready to wage a war with Iraq with the supposed goal of stopping the production
of the very same kinds of weapons that it is developing itself. Professor
Dando says that secret military laboratories are working on the following.
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- 1. Attempts are being made to develop a bacteriological
weapon using bacteriological materials open to all; this is being done
to prove that terrorists might also do this as well.
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- 2. Research projects are be conducted with the goal of
genetically engineering dangerous cultures, including an anthrax resistant
to modern antibiotics.
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- 3. These laboratories are also working on the production
of dry anthrax spores. However, the scale of these research projects disagrees
with the declared goals; it is impossible to find out how the spore surplus
is being used.
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- Specialists in biological and chemical weapons also say
that the USA is developing so-called ãnon-deadlyä kinds of
weapons, similar to the narcotic gas used during the storm of the theater
in Moscow occupied by Chechen terrorists. The American military is also
developing new generation biological weapons, which is a serious violation
of international agreements prohibiting the production of these kind of
weapons.
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- The USâs double-dealing in the production and usage
of biological weapons brings to nothing to all the efforts of the world
community to gain control over the usage of such deadly weapons. Moreover,
currently, members of the 1972 convention donât speak in support
of international inspections. They just hope that countries that had signed
the document 30 years ago will agree to hold annual, non-committal discussions.
The main objective they pursue is to constantly remind the world about
the necessity to be on the look-out. Isnât this funny? Itâs
obvious that the USA is laughing at the whole of the world: Washington
wants to postpone the talks on the 1972 convention until 2006. Observers
say that new suggestions are ineffective and are unlikely to be approved
of by the White House. The principle often used by the USA, ã Quod
liced Jovi non liced bovi,ä is still in force.
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- http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/11/11/39350.html
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