Historical Aspects of Biological Weapons Development and Use

Abstract

This chapter presents the most recent scholarship on the most important periods in the history of biological warfare. Historically, state-based biological warfare programs have been viewed as posing the only biological threat to international security. More recently, non-state actors such as terrorists and criminals have also demonstrated an interest in acquiring and using biological agents as weapons. This chapter provides an overview of the long and complicated history of the development and use of biological weapons with an emphasis on the key state-based programs and terrorist groups that have invested the most effort in acquiring and using biological weapons.