Approaches to the problem of biological warfare have been dominated by a western (and predominately American) discourse that is having the effect of polarizing western and non-western states, rendering a cooperative international solution to problems of security all but impossible, argues Wright (history of science, U. of Michigan). She seeks to counter this trend by introducing marginalized non-western perspectives in this collection of 17 essays. Contributors from the fields of international law, history, information science, medicine, diplomacy, and the military first examine the problem of biological warfare in the dominant contexts that have been expressed since the adoption of the Biological Weapons Convention. The heart of the book is devoted to addressing the political origins and purposes of the international instruments developed to address biological warfare, with perspectives coming from the experiences of Iraq, China, and India.