Ethnic bioweapon

An ethnic bioweapon ("biogenetic weapon") aims to harm only or primarily persons of specific ethnicities or genotypes. One of the first fictional discussions of such weapons is in Robert A. Heinlein's 1942 novel "Sixth Column" (republished as "The Day After Tomorrow") in which a race-specific radiation weapon is used against a so-called "Pan-Asian" invader. The practicality of ethnic bioweapons is disputed, the biggest obstacles being the diversity of the human genotype and the spectrum of shared alleles across human races. [cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,959473,00.html|title=Smart bio-weapons are now possible|author=David Hearst|publisher=The Guardian|date=2003-05-20|accessdate=2008-01-25] [e.g., Smith, Anthony D. 1986. "The Ethnic Origin of Nations". Oxford: Blackwell]

In 1997, U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen referred to the concept as a possible risk. [cite web|author=William Cohen|title=Terrorism, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and U.S. Strategy|date=1997-04-28|work=Sam Nunn Policy Forum, University of Georgia|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/1997/t042897_t0428coh.html|accessdate=2006-07-12] In 2005 the official view of the International Committee of the Red Cross was "The potential to target a particular ethnic group with a biological agent is probably not far off. These scenarios are not the product of the ICRC's imagination but have either occurred or been identified by countless independent and governmental experts." [ [http://www.icrc.org/Web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/iwpList515/8A0FFCE21E3DC9EAC125701A0036527B Preventing the use of biological and chemical weapons: 80 years on] , Official Statement by Jacques Forster, vice-president of the ICRC, 10-06-2005]

The possibility of a "genetic bomb" is presented in Vincent Sarich's and Frank Miele's book, "", published in 2004. The authors believe that information from the Human Genome Project will be used in just such a manner. Even in 1998 some biological weapon experts considered such a "genetic weapon" a plausible possibility, and believed the former Soviet Union had undertaken some research on the influence of various substances on human genes. [ [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plague/interviews/davis.html Interview of Dr Christopher Davis, UK Defence Intelligence Staff] , "Plague War", Frontline, PBS, October 1998]

Debunked Israeli "Ethno-Bomb"

In November 1998, "The Sunday Times" reported that Israel was attempting to build an "ethno-bomb" containing a biological agent that could specifically target genetic traits present amongst Arab populations. [cite news|title=Israel planning 'ethnic' bomb as Saddam caves in|author=Uzi Mahnaimi|coauthors=Marie Colvin|publisher=The Sunday Times|date=1998-11-15|accessdate=2006-07-11] "Wired News" also reported the story, [cite news |title=Israel's Ethnic Weapon? |publisher=Wired News |url=http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,16272,00.html |date=1998-11-16] [cite news |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/9904,ridgeway,3697,6.html |title=Ethnic Warfare |publisher=The Village Voice |author=James Ridgeway |date=1999-02-02] as did "Foreign Report". [cite news |url=http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9811&L=justwatch-l&D=0&P=28059 |title=UPI report]

The article was quickly denounced as a hoax. Microbiologists and geneticists were skeptical towards the scientific plausibility of such a biological agent. [cite news|url=http://www.salon.com/news/1998/12/02news.html|title=Debunking the "ethno-bomb"|date=1998-12-02|accessdate=2006-07-11|publisher=Salon.com] The "New York Post", describing the claims as "blood libel", reported that the likely source for the story was a work of science fiction by Israeli academic Doron Stanitsky. Stanitsky had sent his completely fictional work about such a weapon to Israeli newspapers two years before. The article also noted the views of genetic researchers who claimed the idea as "wholly fantastical". [cite news|title=Now Playing: A Blood Libel For The 21st Century|publisher=New York Post|date=1998-11-22|accessdate=2006-07-12]

A planned second installment of the article never appeared, and no sources were ever identified. Neither of the authors of the Sunday Times story, Uzi Mahnaimi and Marie Colvin, have spoken publicly on the matter.

Russian ban on export of biological samples

In May 2007, Russian newspaper "Kommersant" reported that the Russian government banned all exports of human biosamples. [cite news|url=http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.html?docId=769777|title=Россия блюдет человеческий образец
date=2007-05-29|accessdate=2007-05-29|publisher=Kommersant] The report claims that the reason for the ban was a secret FSB report about on-going development of "genetic bioweapons" targeting Russian population by Western institutions. The report mentions the Harvard School of Public Health, American International Health Alliance, United States Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division, Karolinska Institutet and United States Agency for International Development.

ee also

*Race in biomedicine
*Pharmacogenomics
*Toxicogenomics
*Project Coast

References

External links

* [http://www.redcross.int/EN/mag/magazine399/31999_7.asp New biological weapons: Science fiction or moral imperative?] , Robin Coupland, "Red Cross Red Crescent", July 1999
* [http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_03/uk/ethique/txt1.htm Genetic weapons: a 21st-century nightmare?] , Ethirajan Anbarasan, UNESCO "Courier", March 1999