Counterintelligence

For decades, bioweapons have been an integral part of nation states' arsenals. Their efficiency for military purposes has often been disputed, as they are not only too slow from a tactical point of view but also complicated to use. Consequently, very few states have actually employed bioweapons in the past. During the Second World War, the Japanese military used various pathogenic agents, such as for cholera or the plague, to harm the Chinese population. The Cold War saw a number of accidents in laboratories and on testing grounds in the Eastern Bloc, during which anthrax and smallpox were released, resulting in a number of deaths and injuries. Nowadays, various states have opaque or secret programmes for developing bioweapons, the trade of which increases the risk of proliferation. So far, there have merely been rumours about the misuse of genetic research in the military realm and for operations contrary to international law. Apparently, the North Korean biol...