{"id":93752,"date":"2022-03-10T17:05:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-10T15:05:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=93752"},"modified":"2022-03-10T11:04:05","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T09:04:05","slug":"17-05-75","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=93752","title":{"rendered":"Biolabs or Bioweapons Labs?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"center alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/images\/gatestone-logo-1000.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"35%\" \/><\/a><span style=\"text-decoration: underline; color: #000080;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #000080; text-decoration: underline;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/18313\/biolabs-bioweapons-labs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Biolabs or Bioweapons Labs?<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h5>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Pete Hoekstra<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<ul class=\"content_preface_bullets\">\n<li><strong>As for the biolabs in Ukraine, the U.S. has its own explanations. After the fall of the Soviet Union, according to PolitiFact, the U.S. Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has provided technical support to public health labs in Ukraine similar to our CDC. The labs are run by the host countries, contrary to claims, and the people quoted by PolitiFact say the accusations are pure propaganda from Russia and China without any basis.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party has been clear about its own intentions to develop and potentially use bioweapons&#8230; Chinese military scientists even suggest that World War III will be fought with biological weapons.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>[T]he major world powers must become more transparent and forthright regarding biomedical research&#8230;. A simple misstep or miscalculation, however, could subject the world to a frightening pandemic that may create much greater damage than the COVID-19 virus or the current war in Ukraine. Now is the time for world leaders to respond to this emerging threat with greater transparency. Tomorrow may be too late.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gatestoneinstitute.org\/pics\/1564.jpg\" width=\"100%\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>The major world powers must become more transparent and forthright regarding biomedical research. A simple misstep or miscalculation could subject the world to a frightening pandemic that may create much greater damage than the COVID-19 virus or the current war in Ukraine. Pictured: Virologist Shi Zhengli (left) in a laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in Wuhan, China, on February 23, 2017. (Photo by Johannes Eisele\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"article_body itemprop_articlebody\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Is there a clear distinction between biolabs and bioweapons laboratories? Here is how\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/cmsw.mit.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/221003748-Alison-Bruzek-Maximum-Containment-The-Most-Controversial-Labs-in-the-World.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paper<\/a>, written by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, discussed the issue:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>&#8220;The argument isn&#8217;t uncommon, referring to the fine line walked by scientists that can slide (and very occasionally has) from the helpful biological countermeasures to the deceitful biological weapons. The creation of the latter while claiming the former is known as dual-use research. In the 1950s, scientists were accused of this behavior when they developed a novel version of the polio virus, used to create the polio vaccine. Critics argued the release of this virus could decimate an unprepared population while the scientists tried to reassure them it was only for the beneficial cause of a miracle treatment.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In 2002, following the September 11 attacks and the anthrax letters, the United States allocated money to build two maximum containment biology labs. Called Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) facilities, these labs were built to research new vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for emerging infectious diseases, potential biological weapons, and to contribute to the nation&#8217;s biodefense. These labs were not the first dramatic reaction to the threat of biowarfare, and are in fact, one product of a long history of the country&#8217;s contentious relationship with biological weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">This discussion was\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/cmsw.mit.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/221003748-Alison-Bruzek-Maximum-Containment-The-Most-Controversial-Labs-in-the-World.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">outlined in a thesis<\/a>\u00a0written in 2013 about a BSL-4 facility being considered for construction in the heart of Boston. These labs can be controversial even when governments are being fully transparent, and will certainly be controversial when governments are secretive &#8212; because whether designed and intended for the public good, these labs can be\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/?view&amp;did=715938\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">converted easily<\/a>\u00a0for nefarious, dual-use purposes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">It is what many of us believe about the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in China, where COVID-19 might have\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/the-science-suggests-a-wuhan-lab-leak-11622995184\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">originated and leaked<\/a>. The Wuhan laboratory was likely doing some scientific research, but a part of the facility also was\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/nightly-news\/video\/wuhan-lab-researcher-linked-to-military-scientists-nbc-news-finds-115706437674\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">under the control<\/a>\u00a0of the People&#8217;s Liberation Army (PLA), doing bioweapons research.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The bottom line is that biomedical research, as indicated above, can provide tremendous benefits, but also can produce horrific pathogens that may kill millions. How do you distinguish when you suspect one country may be developing bioweapons and you want to be able to prevent them from being successful? That is the exact dilemma that the world finds itself in today.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">The discussion about biolabs and bioweapons has become such a hot topic that it has become part of what one could call the propaganda war between Russia, China, and the U.S. The issue is so potent, that U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, rightly\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/marcorubio\/status\/1501299527659274247?s=10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">warned<\/a>\u00a0that Russia could be setting a pretext for a &#8220;false flag&#8221; attack, after Russia recently\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/white-house-warns-russia-could-use-chemical-or-biological-weapons-in-ukraine-or-create-a-false-flag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">alleged<\/a>\u00a0Ukraine was working with the U.S. on a secret bioweapons program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Russia&#8217;s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/03\/03\/russia-claims-pentagon-biological-war-labs-developing-pathogens-in-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">claim<\/a>\u00a0that one of the reasons Russia needed to invade Ukraine was because of dangerous biolabs located in the country with potential stockpiles of bioweapons. It is not the first time Russia has made such a claim. It made the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/public-health-north-america-health-ap-top-news-in-state-wire-0cf158200e674f41bd3026133e5e043d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">same accusation<\/a>\u00a0about a lab in the Republic of Georgia in 2018. Similarly, the Chinese Communist Party has\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/hereandnow\/2021\/10\/25\/china-misinformation-fort-detrick\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pointed<\/a>\u00a0to the U.S. Army biomedical research facility at Fort Dietrick in Maryland, claiming it was a potential source of the COVID-19 virus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">For its part, the U.S. has\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/2017-2021.state.gov\/fact-sheet-activity-at-the-wuhan-institute-of-virology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">highlighted<\/a>\u00a0the work being done with coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as one of the potential sources of the COVID-19 virus. This admission has led to an ongoing and vigorous debate about whether the virus was\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/10\/21\/nih-admits-us-funded-gain-of-function-in-wuhan-despite-faucis-repeated-denials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">engineered<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/22961822\/covid-19-origin-coronavirus-wuhan-china-market-lab-leak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">developed naturally<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">It is ironic that the war in Ukraine has resulted in the\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/china-us-biolabs-ukraine-russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">calls<\/a>\u00a0by the Chinese government through its foreign ministry to clarify what American biolabs are doing and allow for multilateral inspections. The Chinese Communist government describes the work in these facilities as biological militarization. It is also ironic because in the case of Covid 19, the Chinese Communist Party government has\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-health-coronavirus-usa-pompeo\/pompeo-pushes-china-to-provide-access-to-wuhan-labs-over-coronavirus-outbreak-idUSKBN22B1XA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">restricted access<\/a>\u00a0to the Wuhan laboratory, destroyed information, and delayed the sharing of information on the virus with the world community. The Wuhan laboratory has never been opened to a multilateral, independent inspection team despite the world having experienced more than\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldometers.info\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">six million COVID-19 deaths<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party has been clear about its own intentions to develop and potentially use bioweapons. Colonel Guo Ji-wei and other PLA scientific researchers have\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.defenseone.com\/ideas\/2019\/08\/chinas-military-pursuing-biotech\/159167\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">promoted<\/a>\u00a0biological weapons and &#8220;bio-based&#8221; war in Chinese military journals. In &#8220;The Unnatural Origin of SARS and New Species of Man-Made Viruses as genetic Bioweapons,&#8221; Chinese military scientists even\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/world\/coronavirus\/leaked-chinese-document-reveals-a-sinister-plan-to-unleash-coronaviruses\/news-story\/53674e8108ad5a655e07e990daa85465\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suggest<\/a>\u00a0that World War III will be fought with biological weapons.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">As for the biolabs in Ukraine, the U.S. has its own explanations. After the fall of the Soviet Union, according to\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politifact.com\/factchecks\/2022\/feb\/25\/tweets\/there-are-no-us-run-biolabs-ukraine-contrary-socia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PolitiFact<\/a>, the U.S. Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has provided technical support to public health labs in Ukraine similar to our CDC. The labs are run by the host countries, contrary to claims, and the people quoted by PolitiFact say the accusations are pure propaganda from Russia and China without any basis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">In fact, the Biden administration was so unconcerned with these claims that Victoria Nuland, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, gave an awkward answer to a simple question about the program in testimony before the Senate. Her response was seized upon immediately by Russia&#8217;s state-controlled\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RT_com\/status\/1501299583133134857\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Russia Today<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"https:\/\/greenwald.substack.com\/p\/victoria-nuland-ukraine-has-biological?s=r\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Glenn Greenwald<\/a>, who is a major critic of support for Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">With COVID-19, the Wuhan lab, a hot war in Europe, and growing discussion about bioweapons &#8212; whether it is propaganda or has some elements of truth &#8212; the major world powers must become more transparent and forthright regarding biomedical research. Current medical breakthroughs are revolutionizing health care treatments available to everyone around the world. A simple misstep or miscalculation, however, could subject the world to a frightening pandemic that may create much greater damage than the COVID-19 virus or the current war in Ukraine. Now is the time for world leaders to respond to this emerging threat with greater transparency. Tomorrow may be too late.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><i><strong>Peter Hoekstra<\/strong> was US Ambassador to the Netherlands during the Trump administration. He served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the second district of Michigan and served as Chairman and Ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee. He is currently Chairman of the Center for Security Policy Board of Advisors, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"height: 15px; background: #d0e6fa; width: 100%;\" \/>\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"content-alignment\">\n<div id=\"watch-description\" class=\"yt-uix-button-panel\">\n<div id=\"watch-description-text\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p><em>Zawarto\u015b\u0107 publikowanych artyku\u0142\u00f3w i materia\u0142\u00f3w nie reprezentuje pogl\u0105d\u00f3w ani opinii Reunion&#8217;68,<\/em><em><br \/>\nani te\u017c webmastera Blogu Reunion&#8217;68, chyba ze jest to wyra\u017anie zaznaczone.<br \/>\nTwoje uwagi, linki, w\u0142asne artyku\u0142y lub wiadomo\u015bci prze\u015blij na adres:<br \/>\n<\/em><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><em><a style=\"color: #000080;\" href=\"mailto:webmaster@reunion68.com\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">webmaster@reunion68.com<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr style=\"width: 100%;\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biolabs or Bioweapons Labs? Pete Hoekstra As for the biolabs in Ukraine, the U.S. has its own explanations. After the fall of the Soviet Union, according to PolitiFact, the U.S. Department of Defense Cooperative Threat Reduction Program has provided technical support to public health labs in Ukraine similar to our CDC. The labs are run [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93752"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=93752"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93752\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":93760,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/93752\/revisions\/93760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=93752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=93752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=93752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}