7 Brian Rapperts paper.docx
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7 Brian Rapperts paper.docx
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7BrianRappertspaper
NationalSecurity,Terrorism&theControlofLifeScienceResearch
BrianRAPPERT
DepartmentofSociology;UniversityofExeter;
ExeterEX44QJ;UnitedKingdom
Abstract.Thispaperassessesongoingattemptstobalancesecurityandopennessintheconductofcivilianbioscienceandbiomedicalresearch.Morespecificallyitexaminesthestateofcurrentpolicydiscussionsregardingthesecuritythreatsposedbylifescienceresearchresultsandtechniques.Concernabouttheir‘dualuse’potentialhasintensifiedtremendouslysince9/11andtheanthraxattacksintheUS.Despitetheconsiderableattentiontothisissuetoday,thispaperarguesthatcurrentdiscussionsareunclearandarguablyproblematicinrelationtovitalquestionsregardingtheproblemposedbylifescienceresearch,theultimategoalsofcontrols,andthedesirabilityofthecirculationofdualuseknowledge.Itseekstochallengethestateofdiscussionbyaskinghowthecurrentsecuritypresentationsofthethreatsposedbyemergingbiosciencedevelopmentsarethemselvesformedinrelationtodefinitionsofscientificpractice.Onthebasisofthisanalysis,considerationisgiventothepotentialandpitfallsassociatedwithcurrentinternationaleffortstodevisea‘codeofconduct’forbioscientists.
Introduction
Todayinmanycountries,renewedattentionisbeinggiventothepotentialforthebiologicalandmedicalsciencestofacilitatethedevelopmentofbiologicalweapons.[]Questionsarebeingaskedwhethersomeresearchistoo‘contentious’topursueandwhatsystemsshouldbeinplacetoevaluateandpossiblyrestrictlaboratoryactivities.Withthishascomeaquestioningofwhetherthescrutinyandcontrolsbeingundertakenaredamagingthesciencebase.Debatesaboutwhat,ifany,controlsmightbeprudentoftenturnonhowclassificationsanddistinctionsaremadeinrelationtoquestionssuchas:
Whatcountsas‘dangerous’research?
Inwhatwaysistheunderstandingoflifeprocessesnowbeinggeneratedopeningupnewwaysofinterferingwiththefunctioningofhumans,animals,andplants?
Whatresearchfindingsconstituteanovelcontributiontoadiscipline?
TowhatextentarethesecurityissuesassociatedwiththelifesciencessimilarordifferenttothoseassociatedwithotherWMDareasofconcernsuchasnuclearphysics?
Thispaperconsiderswhatisatstakeinthewaysuchquestionsarebeingposedandansweredtoday.Itdoessobyquestioninghow‘theproblem’withbioresearchisdefined.Inparticularitaskshowcurrentdepictionsofthethreatsposedbyemergingbiosciencedevelopmentsarethemselvesformedinrelationtounderstandingsofscientificpractice.Itaimstoidentifykeyissueshithertonotgivensufficientattention,theknotsandbindsassociatedwithtryingtoassessthedual-usecapacityofresearch,andproblemsforfutureconsideration.Followingfromananalysisoftheseissues,theprosandconsassociatedwithattemptstodevelopaninternationalcodeofconductforbioscientistsarediscussed.
Thispaperitselfemploysseveraldistinctionstosettheboundariesofanalysis.Thefirstisbetweenresearchcontrolsintendedtopreventtheunauthorizedacquisitionofbiologicalagentsortheiraccidentalreleasewiththosecontrolsintendedtopreventtheknowledgeandtechniquesgeneratedfrombeingmisused.Whilethefirstreferstothefairlywelltroddengroundofbiosecurity/biosafety,thesecondraisesmuchlessfamiliarmattersforthelifesciences.Itisthelatterwhichisthefocushere.Inaddition,thischapterisconcernedwiththeimplicationsofcontrolsfornon-militaryagencyfundedacademic[](andtoalesserextent)industrialR&D.Finally,muchoftheargumentcentresonrecentactivitiesintheUS,thecountrywhichisontheforefrontofdebatingandadoptingresearchcontrols.AtthetimeofwritingwhileEuropeancountrieshadmadevariousregulatorybiosecurity/biosafetyreforms,discussionsareonlybeginningabout‘dangerousknowledge’.Asthesiteofaconsiderablepercentageoftheworld’slifescienceresearchandbecauseofitsongoinginterestininternationalizinganycontrolsadoptedintheUS,thisconcentrationisprudent.
1.TheLifeSciences&BiologicalWeapons
Discussionsaboutthedualusepotential–thatistheirpotentialforcivilianandmilitaryapplications–ofbiologicalandmedicalresearchtodayincludeconcernsthatsuchactivitiesmayfacilitatestateandnon-stateactorsmakingbacteriamoreresistanttoantibiotics,modifyingagents’virulenceandpathogenicity,synthesizingviruses,devisingnovelbioweapons,andreducingtheeffectivenessofthebody’sdefencesystem.[]Whilerenewedattentionisbeingpaidtotheproliferationofnuclearandchemicalexpertiseandequipment,thereislittledoubtthatmuchofcurrentpublicpolicyattentionregardingthesecurityimplicationsofsciencescentresonthelifesciences.
Theimpetusbehindandcharacterofthisfocusderivesfromaseriesofdistinctionsmadebetweenlifescienceresearchasother‘dualuse’areasofconcernsuchasnuclearscienceandcryptography.Inrecentlyassessingthethreatposedbybiologicalweaponsusedbyterrorists,forinstance,theUSNationalResearchCouncil(NRC)[]concludedthatthedual-usepotentialoflifescienceresearchismuchmoreofapotentialproblemthanthatposedbynuclearphysicsbecauseofcomparativedifferencesinthestepsandresourcesrequiredbetweenfundamentalscienceandtheproductionofweapon,thisincluding:
theaccessibilityofthematerialsrequired,theeaseofdistinguishingcivilianfrommilitaryrelevantactivities,thesizeandglobaldispersionofthecommunities,andtheextentoftheincorporationofsecurityissueswithintheexistingcultureofresearch.[]Inbrief,theNRCarguedthattheresourcesandknowledgerequiredfortheproductionofbiologicalweaponsismorethoroughlyandtroublingly‘dualuse’thanthatnecessaryfornuclearweapons.[]Muchthesameoverallconclusionwassaidtoapplytocryptography.Asanotherconsideration,thediffusenatureofthematerialsandexpertiseinthelifesciencesweresaidtolimittheviabilityofresearchcontrols.
Theimportofthesedistinctionsforsecurityresponsesdependsonthenatureofthewould-beuseroftheweaponsenvisioned.Whilemuchattentionhasbeengiventoterroristthreatsinrecentyears,thisdidnotfigureasaprominenttopicinthepast.[]Theaforementioneddifferencesinthedualusepotentialofresearchthoughwouldsuggestthematerialsandexpertisenecessaryforattackswithbiologicalweaponsarefarmorereadilyaccessiblethanthoserequiredfordevisingnuclearweapons.Forsomethough,theconcentrationonterrorismtodaymisplacesthemostlikelydevelopersofbioweapons:
thatbeingstatesinoffensiveprograms.Amongthedemandsoftencitedforproducingaviablebioweaponincludeobtainingavirulentstrainofanagent,culturingitinsufficientquantities,weaponisingtheagent(e.g.,throughaerosolisationtechniques)andthensecuringthemeansofdispersingit.Manysecurityanalystshavetakenthelimitedemploymentofbiologicalweaponsaroundtheworlddespitethehistoricalinterestinsuchcapacitiesasanindicationofthedifficultyofeffectivelyemployingthem.[]Insum,thereismuchdebatetodayaboutthecharacteristicsoflifescienceresearchandthelikelihoodofthethreatsposed.
1.1PolicyResponses
Muchoftheinitialpolicyresponsepost9/11andtheanthraxattacksintheUShasbeendirectedtowardsstrengtheningthephysicalcontainmentofpathogens.Forinstance,the2001USPatriotAct,theUSPublicHealthSecurityandBioterrorismPreparednessandResponseActof2002andthe2001UKAnti-terrorism,CrimeandSecurityActbroughtinenhancedcontrolsonwhocouldaccesstraditionaldangerouspathogensandtoxins(mainlyso-called‘selectagents’byUSCenterforDiseaseControlclassification).
However,intheUSatleast,thedebatehasexpandedsignificantlybeyondissuesassociatedwithpersonnelandmaterialstoconsiderhowtheknowledgeandtechniquesgeneratedfromresearchmightposesecurityconcerns.Theoftensaidrelativelyeaseofmovingfromthesciencetotheproductionofbiologicalweaponsaswellasthepaceofscientificdevelopmentshasleadtoquestioningabouttheadvisabilityofpursuingsomelinesofresearch.Post9-11,experimentssuchastheinsertionoftheinterleukin-4geneintothemousepoxvirus,thecomparisonofvariolamajorandvacciniavirusesandtheartificialchemicalsynthesisofthepoliovirushaveroutinelyfiguredasexamplesofhownon-appliedresearchmightfacilitatethedevelopmentofbiologicalweapons.[]WiththepassageoftheHomelandSecurityActintheUS,renewedattentionhasbeengiventothepossibilityofintroducinga‘sensitivebutunclassified’securitycategorizationforcertainresearchfindings.[]Inearly2003,agroupof32largelyAmericanbasedscientificjournalsmettoagreeguidelinesforreviewing,modifying,andperhapsevenrejectingresearcharticleswhere‘thepotentialharmofpublicationoutweighsthepotentialsocietalbenefits.’[]In2004,theNRC’sreportBiotechnologyResearchinanAgeofTerrorismmadesignificantnewrecommendationsforthereviewandoversightofpotentiallydangerousresearchproposals.Whileitfoundexistinglegislationandregulationforprotectionofmaterialsandthevettingofpersonneladequate,itconcludedthatadditionalproceduresshouldbeinplacetoscreenso-called‘ExperimentsofConcern’.[]Currentlythiscategoryincludesactivitiessuchasincreasingthetransmissibilityofpathogens,enhancingvirulenceofagents,andrenderingvaccinesineffective;thoughtheCouncilhasstatedtheclassificationmighthav
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