Dec. 4, 2019

Fentanyl as a Chemical Weapon

John Caves provides some perspective on the question of whether fentanyl should be considered a chemical weapon, and offers some recommendations to mitigate the risk that fentanyl compounds could be weaponized in the future.

Dec. 2, 2019

Synthetic Biology Industry Practices and Opportunities for Biosecurity and Potential Roles for the U.S. Government

This report summarizes discussions with industry representatives about the current and future structure of the synthetic biology industry, perspectives on potential misuse and vulnerabilities of synthetic biology tools and capabilities, and business practices to prevent misuse of tools and to protect industry assets.

Nov. 6, 2019

The death of the INF Treaty has lessons for arms control

In her article in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Dr. Amy J. Nelson argues that despite the treaty's failure, there is much to be learned from its undoing, as well as from the current state of arms control.

Sept. 20, 2019

Power Under Parity

Distinguished Research Fellow Paul Bernstein contributed his expertise to this report on strategic parity in an era of great power competition.

Sept. 19, 2019

Getting Innovation Right

This monograph is a collection of short papers from a Lawrence Livermore workshop on innovation and long-term competition.

Aug. 22, 2019

Biospecimens and the Information Landscape for Biodefense

As genomic sequencing and synthesis tools continue to grow, the genomic information associated with biospecimens is expanding rapidly; the convergence of the physical and digital worlds has yet unexamined impacts to our traditional biodefense frameworks.

July 23, 2019

Book Review: Biosecurity in Putin's Russia

The extensive research and sober discussion and analysis presented in Zilinskas and Mauger’s work may shed enough light to illuminate a path toward effective action.

July 23, 2019

Systems-based Approach to Biodefense Policy Analysis

In this article, co-authored by Dr. Diane DiEuliis, the authors describe a systems-based analysis of the US biosecurity and biodefense policy landscape to analyze functional relationships between policies. They identify 2 approaches in US policy for countering biological threats: prevention of theft, diversion, or deliberate malicious use of biological technologies, and development of capabilities and knowledge to assess, detect, monitor, respond to, and attribute biological threats.

July 23, 2019

Book Review: The End of Strategic Stability?: Nuclear Weapons and the Challenge of Regional Rivalries

In this book review, published in Strategic Studies Quarterly, Dr. Justin Anderson argues that Rubin and Stulberg's volume will leave readers better informed about how Great Powers and regional actors believe nuclear weapons either undergird or undermine strategic stability.

July 23, 2019

The INF Treaty: A Spectacular, Inflexible, Time-bound Success

This article discusses the changing dynamics that led first Moscow and then Washington to reevaluate the merit of the INF Treaty. It concludes that the treaty's relative rigidity may play a key role in its undoing and suggests that future arms control negotiations develop more flexible and resilient mechanisms of review, dispute resolution, and verification.