Richard Guthrie

Dr Richard Guthrie is the CBW Events Co-ordinating Editor.

Richard has worked in and with the non-governmental, governmental and inter-governmental sectors; mostly looking at technology control and innovation issues that relate to materials and technologies that can have hostile as well as peaceful uses. His work in this field is much broader than that which would normally come under the rubric of arms control. He has side interests in the issues of interactions between governments and societies, in policies of access to official information, in emergency planning/response, and in international legal frameworks.

Richard started CBW Events in 2007. He was previously Project Leader of the Chemical and Biological Warfare Project of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (2003-06). Before Sweden, Richard was an independent consultant working with inter-governmental bodies, governments, NGOs and academic units. He was involved in a long-term collaboration with the Harvard Sussex Program (1988-2003), where he was responsible for production of The CBW Conventions Bulletin and for managing certain data resources. He also edited or co-edited seven volumes of the VERTIC yearbook (1991–97) and the VERTIC newsletter Trust and Verify (1992–97). He was responsible for production of the PPNN Newsbrief (1989–2001). He also worked part-time in the House of Commons for sixteen years.

Starting with the Sixth Review Conference for the Biological Weapons Convention in 2006, Richard had been producing daily reports from each day of the formal meetings of the Convention, including the annual inter-sessional meetings. This has been extended to include daily reports from the Review Conferences of the Chemical Weapons Convention in 2008 and 2013.

In 2016, Richard completed a part-time PhD on the concept of effectiveness regarding control measures within the regime to control biological weapons.

Outside activities include membership of the Pugwash Study Group on the Implementation of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions (as well as being Chair of the British Pugwash Trust and a member of the Executive Committee of the British Pugwash Group) and being an elected Trustee, and Chair of the Finance Committee, for the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution.

He can be contacted via e-mail at richard [AT] cbw-events.org.uk.

Publications and presentations

The following publications and presentations list does not include Richard Guthrie's materials published elsewhere on this website, such as those from the themed and annual chronologies. His daily reports from the Review Conferences and other meetings of the BWC can be found at http://www.cbw-events.org.uk/bwc-rep.html and those from the CWC Review Conferences can be found at http://www.cbw-events.org.uk/cwc-rep.html.

"Improving implementation of the BWC: preparedness, response, and assistance", International conference, Global Biosecurity Challenges: Problems and Solutions, Sochi, Russian Federation, 1–2 November 2017, presentation slides and speaking notes.

"The Web of Prevention: A Multi-dimensional Approach to Inhibit CBRN Acquisition", ISTC Seminar, Astana, Kazakhstan, 11-12 October 2017, presentation slides.

"Using the inputs into the inter-sessional meetings of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention to enhance conceptualization of effectiveness for the regime to control biological weapons", A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of Bath, June 2016, Volume I and Volume II.

"Emerging Threats and Risks", Plenary Lecture, 12th International Symposium on Protection Against Chemical and Biological Warfare Agents, Stockholm, Sweden, 8–10 June 2016, speaking notes.

[with Caitriona McLeish and James Revill] CWC Resource Guide 2013 for the Third CWC Review Conference [in association with the Harvard Sussex Program].

"Post-destruction era compliance under the CWC", in: Jean Pascal Zanders (ed.), The future of the CWC in the post-destruction phase, European Union Institute for Security Studies, March 2013, pp 28-39.

[with Caitriona McLeish] BWC Briefing Book 2011 for the Seventh BWC Review Conference [in association with the Harvard Sussex Program].

"The evolution of EU policy on non-proliferation of WMD", CFSP Forum, vol 7, no 4, July 2009, pp 18-24.

"Reducing chemical and biological threats through international governance", Plenary Lecture, NBC 2009: Meeting the future challenges, 7th Symposium on chemical, biological, nuclear and radiological threats, Jyväskylä, Finland, 8–11 June 2009.

"Tackling ambiguities: lessons for the Review Conference from the Chemical Weapons Convention negotiations", discussion paper, 28th Workshop of the Pugwash Study Group on the Implementation of the CBW Conventions, "The Second CWC Review Conference and After", Noordwijk, the Netherlands, 5-6 April 2008, 4 pp.

"Tackling Ambiguities: lessons for the Review Conference from the Chemical Weapons Convention negotiations", Lecture given at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), 24 January 2008, presentation slides.

"NGO Participation in meetings of global arms control treaties", CBW Events, November 2007 [Paper prepared for an OPCW NGO Event].

"A New Lease of Life: The 6th Review Conference of the BTWC and Beyond", BWPP Occasional Paper no 3, (December 2007).

"Rising Out of the Doldrums: Report on the BWC Review Conference", Disarmament Diplomacy, Spring 2007.

"The United Nations Secretary-General’s mechanism to investigate alleged use of biological and chemical warfare", A briefing paper prepared by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) for the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, May 2006 [submitted by the Swedish Government to the United Nations study Verification in All Its Aspects].

[with John Hart and Frida Kuhlau], "Chemical and biological weapon developments and arms control", SIPRI Yearbook 2006, (Stockholm/Oxford: SIPRI/Oxford University Press, 2006), pp 707-31 [plus similar chapters in Yearbooks 2004 and 2005].

Testimony to the House of Lords European Union Committee as part of their inquiry "Preventing Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: The EU Contribution", 3 February 2005, reproduced with the final report in HL Paper 96, session 2004-05.

[with a number of SIPRI staff], "Review of Recent Literature on WMD Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation", Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission [Blix Commission], Paper 1, May 2004.

[with John Hart, Frida Kuhlau and Jean Pascal Zanders], "Non-Compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention: Lessons from and for Iraq", SIPRI Policy Paper No. 5, October 2003.

[with John Simpson], "L'avenir des régimes de contrôle des exportations NBC: Un point de vue britannique", in Camille Grand (ed.) Les régimes multilatéraux de contrôle des exportations de technologies sensibles, Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI), December 2000, pp. 25–61.

"Technological Aspects of Verification: declarations, managed access and confidential proprietary information" and "Technological Aspects of Verification: investigation of alleged use of biological weapons", in M. Dando and G. Pearson (eds.), Verification of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000, pp. 151–60 and 161–70.

[with Emily Bailey, Darryl Howlett and John Simpson] PPNN Briefing Book, "Volume I: The Evolution of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Regime" [seven editions: 1990, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003] & "Volume II: Treaties, Agreements and Other Relevant Documents" [nine editions: 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2003].

"The Transition to a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: A New Model for the Verification Framework", Verification Matters, VERTIC Briefing Paper 97/1, April 1997, 4 pp.

[editor] Verification 1997: The VERTIC Yearbook, Westview Press, 1997 [and co-editor with J.B. Poole of the previous six books in the series 1991-96. A number of the volumes include chapters by the editor(s), some are listed below]

Richard Guthrie, "Could a New Security Assurance Enhance WMD Norms?", in Richard Guthrie (ed.), Verification 1997: the VERTIC Yearbook, (London/Boulder: VERTIC/Westview Press), 1997, pp 11-22.

"Significant Multilateral NACD Agreements: the scope and challenge of implementation", in J. Marshall Beier and Steven Mataija, Cyberspace and Outer Space: Transitional Challenges for Multilateral Verification in the 21st Century, York Centre for International and Security Studies, 1997, pp. 41–52.

"Special Edition—The Non-Proliferation Treaty: Options for 1995", Trust&Verify, 49, August 1994, 4 pp [widely cited, copied, translated and quoted by delegates at the 1995 NPT Conference.]

"The Chemical Weapons Convention: a guide", in J.B. Poole and R. Guthrie (eds.) Verification 1993: Peacekeeping, Arms Control and The Environment, VERTIC, 1993, pp. 25–32.

Preventing Nuclear Proliferation: the NPT and its extension in 1995, published collectively by the British American Security Information Council, the Defence FAX Organisation, the International Security Information Service and the Verification Technology Information Centre, 1993 (Also translated, by Uta Angerer, and reproduced as "Die Ausbrietung von Kernwaffen verhindern. Der Nichtverbreitungsvertrag und seine Verlängerung im Jahr 1995", Wissenschaft&Frieden Dossier, [Science and Peace Dossier, University of Muenster] no. 12, March 1993).

"Signed but not yet delivered" [unsigned editorial on the signing of the Chemical Weapons Convention], New Scientist, 23 January 1993, p. 3.

"Editorial Comment", Trust & Verify, no 33, November 1992, VERTIC, p. 1 [contains first published call for oversight of UK implementation of the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention].

[with Paul Anderson] "New look for NATO is a step in the right direction says O'Neill", Tribune, 13 July 1990, p. 4.

"ROTHR: increasing US/UK intelligence co-operation", Jane's Defence Weekly, 7 April 1990, p. 633.

"Further information on Proposals to Station additional F-111s in the UK", Supplement to BASIC Report 89-2, April 1989, 14pp [this supplement was cited by members of both houses of the US Congress.]

"In Parliament", ADIU Report [all issues April-December 1988]

Questions and Answers About The INF Treaty, Nuclear Transport Information Group, December 1987, 4 pp [used as source material by many journalists at the time]