Recent revelations about Iraqi and Soviet biological programmes and highly publicized events such as the deployment of anthrax and botulinum by the Aum Shinrikyo sect in Japan have made clear the necessity for addressing the issues of biological warfare and defence. In this analysis of the threat to global security, 15 contributors consider topics including: the motivations of governments and terrorist groups seeking to acquire biological weapons; techniques for weapons development; methods for detection of pathogens and toxins; defence against biological weapons; managing the consequences of a biological attack; and internatinal efforts to counter weapons proliferation.