The Islamic State’s Ability to Acquire Biological Weapons and Western Nations’ Response Mechanisms

Abstract

The Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL, and Da’esh, is no longer an ignorable threat to Western nations. The group has massive resources – according to one source, it generates up to $40 million per month in illicit oil sales and has assets worth $2.9 billion – and has captured several research facilities, potentially giving it the ability to develop offensive biological weapons. Recently, the United States’ Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, confirmed longheld suspicions that the Islamic State (IS) is capable of producing and deploying offensive chemical weapons, stating: “ISIL has ... used toxic chemicals in Iraq and Syria, including the blister agent Sulfur mustard.” Because of IS’s funding, access to dual-use biotechnology (through the capture of universities and former Iraqi weapons facilities), radical ideology, and demonstrated willingness to use weapons of mass destruction on the battlefield, there exists a significant possibility that IS will develop and deploy biological weapons. Proactive steps must be taken now to address this risk. The purpose of this article is to: (1) provide some background information on IS, the history of biological weapons programs in the middle