Chemical and Biological Weapons Explained — Brett Edwards

This episode of The IR thinker explores the history, present landscape and future risks of chemical and biological weapons with Dr Brett Edwards, tracing their evolution from early use to contemporary arsenals and dual-use technologies. The discussion examines verification and disarmament, how these weapons feature in national defence planning, the ethical and legal debates surrounding them, international control regimes and the specific concerns raised in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine.Brett EdwardsDr Brett Edwards is a Senior Lecturer in Security and Public Policy at the University of Bath. His research sits at the intersection of security, non-proliferation and responsible innovation, with a particular focus on chemical and biological weapons disarmament and non-proliferation.Brett’s YouTube channelContent00:00 - Introduction01:43 - Inventory of Global Chemical and Biological Weapons Capabilities06:41 - Evolution of Chemical and Biological Weapons Through History11:59 - Verification of Chemical and Biological Weapons Disarmament13:51 - Integration of Chemical and Biological Weapons into National Military Strategies16:31 - Preparedness Against Chemical and Biological Weapons Attacks19:31 - Ethical Considerations in the Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons24:25 - International Collaboration in Controlling Chemical and Biological Weapons30:11 - Challenges in Prohibiting Chemical versus Biological Weapons35:57 - Techniques for Detection of Chemical and Biological Weapons42:04 - Post-Deployment Detection and Impact Assessment of Chemical and Biological Weapons44:34 - International Sanctions as a Response to Chemical and Biological Weapons Violations48:58 - The Role of Chemical and Biological Weapons in the Ukrainian Conflict56:23 - Anticipating Future Challenges in Chemical and Biological Weapons ProliferationFollow & Further ResourcesSubstack: https://theirthinker.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ir-thinker/X: https://x.com/irthinker_Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theirthinker/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/theirthinker.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/irthinkerfb Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.