Description
This presentation examines the complexities that lead an authoritarian state, faced with significant internal and external opposition, to develop a chemical and biological warfare (CBW) program, using Project Coast, the South African CBW program as a case study. Project Coast was launched in the early 1980s when South Africa’s apartheid government granted extensive powers to the military in its fight against anti-apartheid activists, both domestically and in neighbouring countries. The official account provided by former apartheid authorities indicated that the program was established in the context of the Cold War with a purely defensive aim of protecting South African troops from CBW threats in Namibia and Southern Angola. However, scientific research reveals a more offensive nature, focusing on regime security, including targeted assassination of regime opponents, elimination of insurgent formations, and population control. This presentation explores the historical context and motivations behind a state's decision to establish a chemical and biological warfare program and questions the political and military objectives of CBW programs. It advocates for integrating CBW studies into war studies to prevent their development and the misuse of science.
