Biodefence as a challenge to the global norms against biological and toxin weapons: five problems and a potential solution

Biological and toxin weapons (BTW) are prohibited under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), but the general purpose criterion expressed in the BTWC allows for protective or biodefence measures. Despite the seeming compatibility of the multilateral BTW prohibition with national biodefence activities, this paper argues that biodefence poses five problems for the global norms against BTW. After discussing these, the paper analyses past efforts to address these problem areas in the context of BTWC meetings and initiatives, such as a Compliance Protocol. The paper concludes that none of the past efforts has been successful in solving the identified problems and proposes behavioural arms control (BAC) as a potential solution to the challenges posed by biodefence, without undermining states’ security.