Countering CBW Disinformation

Regulating the development of artificial intelligence is possible—and necessary. Tristan Paci

Abstract: For the past five years, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has been the target of a concerted disinformation campaign. CBRN Perspectives & Analytics looks back on how an institution so central to global counterproliferation came under attack.

Information is the world’s lifeblood. It pulsates in torrents of facts and images. We are swamped with it.

But information can be poison, a dangerous weapon. Disinformation, or organized lying, can be used to wage political warfare. As the historian Thomas Rid wrote in “Active Measures,” his book on the subject, disinformation can weaken a political system that places its trust in truth. “Disinformation operations, in essence, erode the very foundations of open societies,” he wrote.

The growing trend of disinformation operations is weakening the trust in international community general and multilateral institutions in particular. The policy of biological weapons disinformation is being pursued by all the major powers, and quite interestingly, the victim of it is also from all the major global political groupings. The same is true about the Chemical Weapons Convention. As State-backed disinformation wars have become a central facet of global geopolitics, its disorderly impact on the international security environment and future challenges are yet to be decoded.

Abstract: Concerns over disinformation have intensified in recent years. Policymakers, pundits, and observers worry that countries like Russia are spreading false narratives and disseminating rumours in order to shape international opinion and, by extension, government policies to their liking. Despite the importance of this topic, mainstream theories in International Relations offer contradictory guidance on how to think about disinformation.

Russia's state Investigative Committee said on Monday it was examining the alleged use of chemical weapons by Ukrainian forces near the eastern Ukrainian towns of Soledar and Bakhmut.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/without-supplying-evidence-russia-…

February 7, 2023

1-EVIDENCE OF US-FINANCED BIOLOGICAL PROGRAM IN UKRAINE REVEALED BY RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

Tass, March 06, 2022

https://tass.com/defense/1417951,

2-UKRAINE WORKED ON DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS NEAR RUSSIAN BORDERS – STATEMENT

TASS, March 08, 2022

https://tass.com/politics/1418689

3-RUSSIAN DIPLOMAT URGES US TO REVEAL INFORMATION ABOUT ACTIVITIES OF LABS IN UKRAINE

1-Information on the production of dangerous viruses and bacteria in a Georgian laboratory under the auspices of the United States needs international verification - Igor Giorgadze

https://www.interfax.ru/presscenter/628867/ (September 11, 2018)

2-Georgia rejected Russia's accusations about the biological laboratory named after Lugara

https://www.interfax.ru/world/629389/ (September 15, 2018)

"A little-remembered aspect of the Korean War is an issue of great importance to those concerned with arms control and allegations of the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), namely nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. During and after the war, North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union alleged that the United States used biological weapons (BW) on an enormous scale in areas of both China and North Korea.

UN General Assembly:

"Countering disinformation for the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms: Report of the Secretary-General" (August 12, 2022)