Which country deliberately did not follow the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention even after signing?

Which country deliberately did not follow the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention even after signing?

• A. USA
• B. USSR
• C. UK
• D. France

Answer: (B)

Signing a treaty doesn’t automatically ensure compliance; the real test is whether activities align with the ban and whether there’s credible verification. The Biological Weapons Convention forbids developing, producing, stockpiling, and acquiring biological agents for hostile purposes. The Soviet Union signed the agreement but then pursued a large, secret biowarfare program under the Biopreparat umbrella for decades, with facilities hidden from inspectors and activities kept off the official record. This deliberate evasion continued despite the pledge to adhere to the treaty, and it only became widely known after the USSR dissolved, through defectors and investigations. In contrast, the other major signatories publicly embraced the treaty framework and moved toward transparency or destruction of stockpiles, aligning with the convention’s spirit.

Signing a treaty doesn’t automatically ensure compliance; the real test is whether activities align with the ban and whether there’s credible verification. The Biological Weapons Convention forbids developing, producing, stockpiling, and acquiring biological agents for hostile purposes. The Soviet Union signed the agreement but then pursued a large, secret biowarfare program under the Biopreparat umbrella for decades, with facilities hidden from inspectors and activities kept off the official record. This deliberate evasion continued despite the pledge to adhere to the treaty, and it only became widely known after the USSR dissolved, through defectors and investigations. In contrast, the other major signatories publicly embraced the treaty framework and moved toward transparency or destruction of stockpiles, aligning with the convention’s spirit.