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Congressional Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and

Terrorism INSS Insight No. 84, December 15, 2008


Friedman, David

According to the US Congressional Commission headed by Senator Bob Graham, by


2013 it is likely that weapons of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack
somewhere in the world. In order to prevent or minimize this concrete danger, it is
necessary for the global community to act with urgency and determination.
The Commission, appointed in 2007, was asked to evaluate the complete range
of non-conventional threats and submit its findings and recommendations. Already at
the outset of its work, however, the commission decided to focus on the two threats that
it considered most serious: nuclear and biological weapons proliferation and terrorism.
A key finding of the Commission was that terrorist organizations are more likely to
obtain and use biological weapons than nuclear weapons.
While progress in recent years in the life sciences and biotechnology has led to
breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture, it also greatly increases the availability of
dangerous biological elements and technologies. These can be used to develop and
manufacture biological weapons, which might then fall into the hands of terrorist
groups. The Commission thus urged the US government to be much more active in
preventing the proliferation of biological weapons and their components.
Nuclear capabilities have spread among additional countries (Iran, North Korea),
and countries possessing nuclear weapons have decided to reinforce their existing
arsenals. These are particularly alarming developments and heighten the possibility that
an escalating military crisis will include nuclear weapons. Furthermore, the meager
security measures taken by the nuclear newcomers to protect their nuclear materials
increases the possibility of nuclear weapons, fissile materials, weapons components, or
technologies falling into the hands of terrorists.
Regarding the nuclear threat, the US government has invested major efforts on
several fronts to prevent fissile materials from reaching terrorist hands. Since the 9/11
attacks and the anthrax envelopes attacks soon after, the US government has also begun
to make serious preparations for dealing with the biological threat. According to the
Commission, however, the biological problem has earned inadequate attention. The
Commission thus recommended that enhanced efforts be invested in this challenge; only
assigning a high priority to the prevention of biological terrorism can lead to a reduction
of the chances of such an attack.
The Commission noted that professionals dealing with nuclear affairs in
research institutions, industry, and so on realized after Hiroshima that it had to
implement conditions of control, departmentalization, and even secrecy. In the
biological sphere, however, no such process occurred, and the bio-security culture has
not matched the emergence of biological threats and risks. It is therefore crucial for the
life sciences community in academia, hospitals, research institutions, and industry to
make an effort to raise awareness of the current risks and the issue of biological
security.
The Commission’s recommendations for prevention of biological proliferation
and terrorism are twofold. On the national level, the report called on the US government
to evaluate fully the security risks in holding dangerous disease elements; develop a
national strategy for improving identification and diagnostic capabilities for known
biological generators; encourage awareness and education in biological security among
the life sciences community; and bolster the existing capabilities for reducing the
number of casualties in the event of a biological attack.
The government is also asked to make a similar effort on the global level, i.e.,
promote and improve biological security in both developing countries and countries
with developed biotechnological industries. Regional and global epidemiological
monitoring systems should be supported and upgraded, and a new action program
proposed for making the Biological Weapons Convention more effective, especially in
prevention of possible use by terrorist organizations.
The Commission urged the United States to seek global cooperation for a series
of measures to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime and reinforce the vision
of a nuclear weapons-free world, principally by heightening the effectiveness and
enforcement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It recommended that the next
administration give supreme priority to stopping the development of nuclear weapons
by North Korea and Iran. In the case of Iran, it is essential that there be a total and
permanent halt to all efforts to acquire nuclear weapons capabilities. If the new
administration chooses to try to stop these programs through direct diplomatic contacts,
it must do so from a position of strength, with an understanding of the gains if the talks
succeed and Iran abandons its programs for obtaining nuclear weapons, and the heavy
price it will pay if it fails to do so. These diplomatic contacts must be supported by a
credible threat of direct action if the efforts fail.
The Commission also examined closely the role of Pakistan and Russia. It found
that Pakistan constitutes a dangerous point of contact between terrorism and weapons of
mass destruction. The incoming president must therefore devote special attention to
Pakistan, and implement a comprehensive policy in cooperation with Pakistan itself and
other countries. This policy must be based on an uprooting of terrorism from Pakistan
through military, economic, and diplomatic means; security of biological and nuclear
materials; combat and defeat of extremist ideology; and prevention of a nuclear arms
race in Asia. The Commission recommended that the new administration work in
cooperation with Russia to implementing initiatives for preventing the proliferation and
use of weapons of mass destruction and preventing their acquisition by terrorists
Israel supports and backs the global effort spearheaded by the United States to
prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and in particular the risk of
their use by terrorist groups. Like the US, Israel has also amplified its efforts in the field
following the events of 9/11. For example, the president of the Israel Academy of
Sciences and Humanities and the head of the National Security Council appointed a
steering committee of experts in biology and law to examine the subject of biological
security in research organs in Israel, and to formulate recommendations. The committee
found that in order to prevent a possible leak of biological disease generators and
sensitive technologies to terrorist groups, a supervision and control apparatus must be
established in law. The steering committee also recommended a national program for
bolstering the awareness and education of the community dealing in the life sciences on
the issue of biological security.
More recently, the Knesset adopted the steering committee’s recommendations
into law as part of the recently passed Biological Disease Generators Research Law
(2008).. There can be no doubt that the committee’s recommendations and the new law
will make an important contribution to biological security. Nevertheless, much remains
to be done. Israel must continue to act on the issue of preventing proliferation in the
spirit of the American commission’s recommendations, some of which are relevant to
Israel and require close international cooperation.

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