The Einaudi Center for International Studies, the Cornell Club of Washington, Cornell in Washington, and Cornell on the Road present:
Bugs & Bombs: Preparing Intelligently for Bioterrorism

The specter of a biological attack – bodies rotting from anthrax, super-flus, Ebola – is the feared nuclear winter of the 21st century. Death could come creeping from any direction – a doorknob, a handshake, a piece of paper. And with modern technology, the ability to create bioweapons may not limited to scientists in sophisticated laboratories. To date, bioterrorist attacks have been limited, yet the threat looms large in the public imagination and in political rhetoric. However small the risk, many governments consider it too large to be ignored; ensuring that terrorists are not able to acquire biological materials for use in a weapon has become one of the highest U.S. national security priorities.

How feasible is the scenario of mass death, really? How likely is it that terrorist cells or rogue states will develop and deploy bioweapons? In a post-9/11 world, what is – and what should – the government be doing to address the threats that face us today? And how do we educate the public about the real risks of biological warfare and pandemics without precipitating massive “homeland insecurity”?

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