Russian official warns of biological weapons
Biological weapons present a current international threat because they are easier to develop and use than nuclear weapons, a former high official in the Soviet biological weapons program warned last night. In the inaugural speech of a series titled "Russia and the West," Dr. Kenneth Alibek explained the dangers of biological weapons in a post-Cold War era to approximately 70 people in the Hinman Forum of the Rockefeller Center. Unlike nuclear weapons which mainly involve political issues and are not considered weapons of real war, Alibek said biological weapons are thought of as "doomsday weapons" because they have the ability to wipe out an entire population. In his speech, Alibek quoted a popular Russian expression: "If you want to destroy something, make it big." Consequently, Russian scientists have been working for years to develop new technology in an effort to combat its enemy, the United States, he said. Alibek said the world now faces the threat of biological terrorism in the form of viral and bacterial epidemics and said he believes Ebola will be an especially preferred virus to spread since it currently has no cure. Besides the high mortality rate, he said the advantages of biological weapons include the ability of agents to escape from a country completely undetected after administering the toxin and the inability of countries to protect themselves from these weapons. Alibek said it is also comparatively easy to start and spread epidemics.