In the last week, several rare cases of anthrax infection have surfaced in Florida and New York. In an instant, the world has been overshadowed by the terrifying threat of biological and chemical weapons.
On Oct. 11, the Taiwan media reported on the response plan prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and other relevant departments to deal with the possible tightening of restrictions on schedule-three chemicals and precursors -- ie, chemicals that can be used as primary raw materials for chemical weapons. These chemicals were highlighted by the UN's Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
Generally, Taiwan's response strategy is based on economic considerations. It is geared toward dealing with certain prohibitions on international trade. But the Sept. 11 terrorist incidents reminded everyone that we must readjust our perception of these terrorists and their methods and thereby expand and deepen the strategy we share with international society. In particular, it is necessary to have an intimate grasp of the newest developments in guarding against biological and chemical weapons.
Early in 1972, the UN passed the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction -- which is different from the CWC and is known as the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) for short. Taiwan was one of the original signatories of that convention. But because at that time it was generally believed internationally that biological weapons were unlikely to be used for military purposes, the conclusions of that treaty were too general to have much practical significance.
For the same reason, that treaty didn't stipulate how progress in banning production or storage of biological weapons should be verified. With the development of biochemical technology, however, not only did the use of biological weapons become a possibility but biological weapons know-how became a focus of international efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The signatories of that treaty have agreed to establish a committee of "verification experts" to serve as a permanent institution to ensure adherence to the treaty. At the same time, they have also convened a deliberative session for the BWC, an experts meeting, a special conference of signatory nations and a meeting of an ad hoc group of signatory nations.
In addition, a number of industrialized countries also established the "Australia Group." The primary goal of this international organization is to lay out a list of items -- including plant pathogens, biological agents, animal pathogens, and dual-use biological equipment -- which are subject to export controls. Its stringency far surpasses the scope of the BWC, and its goal is precisely to plug loopholes in that convention.
In the light of the Sept. 11 terrorist incidents, international cooperation against terrorist activities will necessarily increase. Taiwan must revise its strategy of taking economic security as the primary consideration. The government should re-evaluate threats to national security on the basis of the attacks. If operations are conducted under the existing task force, the roles of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be strengthened. Otherwise, the government should create a new group focused on prohibiting weapons of mass destruction, and let the defense and foreign ministries jointly shoulder the responsibility.
Yuan I is an associate research fellow at the Institute of International Relations, National Chengchi University.
Translated by Ethan Harkness
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