Preventing A Virological Hiroshima Cold War Press Coverage of Biological Weapons Disarmament.pdf (480.91 kB)
Preventing “a virological Hiroshima”: Cold War press coverage of biological weapons disarmament
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 01:59 authored by Brian Balmer, Alex Spelling, Caitriona McLeishThis article examines representations of biological weapons during a crucial period in the recent history of this form of warfare. The study draws on a corpus of newspaper articles from the US New York Times and the UK Times and Guardian written around the time of the negotiation period of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, the international treaty banning this form of warfare. We argue that a conventional discourse can be found wherein biological weapons are portrayed as morally offensive, yet highly effective and militarily attractive. Interwoven with this discourse, however, is a secondary register which depicts biological weapons as ineffective, unpredictable and of questionable value for the military. We finish with a somewhat more speculative consideration of the significance of these discourses by asking what might have been at stake when journalists and other writers deployed such differing representations of biological warfare.
Funding
Understanding Biological Disarmament: The Historical Context of the Origins of the Biological Weapon; G1301; AHRC-ARTS & HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL; AH/K003496/1
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Journal of War and Culture StudiesISSN
1752-6280Publisher
RoutledgeExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
9Page range
74-90Department affiliated with
- SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2016-06-30First Open Access (FOA) Date
2016-06-30First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2016-06-30Usage metrics
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