CONTROLLING DANGEROUS PATHOGENS: A PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL BIOSECURITY OVERSIGHT SYSTEM8

Dual-use biotechnology research poses global challenges that cannot be managed effectively either by traditional arms control or by voluntary self-governance alone. Legitimate science can create new dangers if a cutting-edge experiment has unanticipated results, if findings from research done for benign purposes are misused by someone else, or if the line between defensive and offensive biological weapon research becomes blurred in practice or perception. Moreover, the relevant pathogens, equipment, and knowledge are widely distributed in research institutions around the glob