CHAPTER 16: Implications for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

Verification of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) remains the most significant dispute between States Parties to the Convention. Convergence in science and technology will shape this debate, but how States Parties respond to the challenges of compliance and verification involves legal, political, and administrative issues, as much as science and technology. Following the disappointing outcome of the Eighth Review Conference of the BTWC, four options for strengthening the Convention are outlined, but the continued emergence of a complex regime network is the most likely response of States Parties to the challenges that science and technology pose to the Convention.