Analysis of the Brain Drain Phenomenon in the Field of Development of Chemical and Biological Weapons in Russia During The 1990s

Proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) is one of the most dangerous challenges in the modern world. Among the countries that developed CBW, the most advanced programs were in the former Soviet Union. At the beginning of the l99Os, Russia inherited most of the main centers of CBW production and development from the former Soviet Union. The Russian government terminated most CBW programs during the l99Os, leaving scientific personnel almost completely on their own. Many Russian CBW scientists in this situation looked for employment abroad. At the same time countries of proliferation concern, especially Iran and Syria, sought foreign experts to assist their CBW programs. This thesis examined the emigration of highly qualified CBW scientists from Russia during the 199Os. The methodology is an analytical assessment of the literature and critical synthesis of information in the CBW field available from newspapers, journals and the WWW. The thesis concluded that the CBW brain drain from Russia during the l99Os did occur to a very limited degree. Iran and Syria were successful in finding and employing some Russian CBW expertise. The Russian government implemented different programs to combat brain drain during the l99Os, but all of them failed because of the lack of funding. The US - funded programs to stop brain drain from Russia and convert former military researchers to civilian projects appeared to be effective during the 199Os.Naval Postgraduate School Monterey CA is the author of 'Analysis of the Brain Drain Phenomenon in the Field of Development of Chemical and Biological Weapons in Russia During The 1990s', published 2002 under ISBN 9781423549000 and ISBN 1423549007.