This month, for the ninth time, member states will meet to review the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and Their Destruction—better known as the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Our first set of authors say today's biological threats are too diverse, urgent, and complex to be held hostage by the intractable geopolitics and rigid diplomatic rules that govern th0se BWC reviews. They argue for a new "minilateral" approach.
For many in the United States and across the globe, last week's midterm elections restored faith in American democracy, writes David P. Fidler this week, but they also produced political conditions that threaten as well as benefit policy progress on public and global health. Our next op-ed, by Chris Collins, is more hopeful, highlighting why—despite deep political divides on Capitol Hill and across the United States—global health remains bipartisan.
Iran remains in the grip of mass protests, sparked by concerns over policy violence, gender discrimination, and inequity toward women. Our final piece, from a physician in Iran, discusses an important gender health topic in the country: the rising rates of stroke among women, and why local prevention strategies inadequately address the needs of low-income women in Iran.
As always, thank you for reading. —Thomas J. Bollyky and Mary Brophy Marcus, Editors
