The BWC and the Regional: Permeation and Reflection of the Biological Weapons Prohibition in Regional Institutions
摘要
This chapter takes stock of regional engagement with and contributions towards the implementation of the BWC. The chapter thus identifies interactions of the BWC with efforts towards biological weapons control and biosecurity in East and South-East Asia, in particular the role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Europe, where two regional organizations conduct relevant work, namely the European Union (EU) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), respective efforts in the Americas, Africa, and in the Middle East where the proposed WMD Free Zone promises to be the most ambitious regional project, and lastly briefly presents the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in covering issues of biodefense and their impact on the BWC. The chapter exemplifies the vast differences in regional implementation of the BWC and argues that these are linked to the overall level of regional integration. This also means that ambitious approaches such as the WMD Free Zone in the Middle East are unlikely to succeed in the absence of a functioning regional framework that includes all states concerned. Yet, regional engagement through workshops and awareness raising still generates a positive impact on the BWC and is thus a welcome development.