Target Acquired

Recent advances in genomics and genetic engineering have led to a plethora
of new insights and discoveries about human history, evolution, and migrations,
as well as to the unmasking of fundamental information about people's
unique traits - including their likenesses and differences, as well as their
varying susceptibilities to diseases. Nowhere has this been more striking
than in the field of infectious diseases, where human genomic differences
can now be leveraged to manufacture transmissible microorganisms that
can infect people selectively while leaving other people unscathed. The
result is a rapidly increasing potential for the precise targeting of biological
warfare agents against both adversaries and ordinary citizens alike. All that
is necessary is to identify systematic differences in the genomic make-up of
different people and societal subgroups to develop microbiologic agents that
will target their unique genomic characteristics selectively. In the wrong hands,
such capabilities can be used to control both the attitudes and behaviors of
entire human populations, and to subjugate and conquer them. These new
gene editing techniques mean that biological warfare agents have a new
capability that permits person-specific viruses to be created and dispersed
to find their "targets." Moreover, those who control the libraries of human
genomic information can selectively target anyone, anywhere, anytime, for
any reason - all without risk of traceability, accountability, or culpability. As
early attempts to humanize viruses such as SARS (SARS CoV-1), MERS
(MERS-CoV), and COVID-19 (SARS CoV-2) have demonstrated, guarding
against the use of weaponized viruses for such malign control of individuals
and even whole societies will be the next great challenge faced by humanity.