The pursuit of the minutely small “nanotechnology” is thriving in academia, in the private sector, and in global
state science and technology programs. Through the science fiction of Star Trek and other quasi-fictional works, the
notion of nanotechnology has entered the collective public psyche. To date, three broad topics have dominated
discussion regarding nanotechnology risk: health and environmental consequences, privacy and legal implications,
and uncontrolled self-replication and artificial intelligence. Security implications, both for traditional nonproliferation
regimes and for potential misuse by non-state actors, have not received commensurate attention. At the same time,
policy makers and the scientific community, domestically and internationally, are attempting to develop new means to
address risks associated with biotechnology. As 21st century science and technology intrinsically traverses
traditional borders “academic, public-private, and international” previous models are inadequate. Through
examination of civilian and defensive applications (nanotechnologically-enabled countermeasures) and hypothetical
offensive uses, the goal is to develop an analytic model to probe security questions surrounding this emerging
technology. Recognizing and developing a robust analytical framework to assess implications of this emerging
technology is an unexplored, cutting-edge research area for international security. Alternatively, the future may
grapple with a nanotechnology A.Q. Khan.
https://mediaspace.gatech.edu/media/kosal/1_fxccvvue
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