Annie Jacobsen - Biological War: A Scenario

Biological War: A Scenario with Annie Jacobsen

Today we’re joined by bestselling author and investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen to discuss her brand-new book, Biological War: A Scenario. Annie is the author of Area 51, Operation Paperclip, The Pentagon’s Brain, Surprise, Kill, Vanish, and one of our favorites, Nuclear War: A Scenario.

In this episode, we talk with Annie about why she moved from nuclear war to biological war, how a biological attack could unfold, and why the pathogen itself may only be part of the disaster. We get into public distrust after Covid, how misinformation and panic could make a biological event far worse, and how quickly a crisis like this could overwhelm institutions, hospitals, government response, and normal civilian life.

We also discuss how biological war could spiral into military escalation or even nuclear conflict, what continuity-of-government plans and martial law might look like, and how regular people can think about preparedness without living in fear.

This is a heavy one, but it’s an important conversation about one of the most unsettling threats facing the modern world.

In This Episode

Why Annie wrote Biological War after Nuclear War: A Scenario

The basic scenario behind the new book

Why public trust may be one of the biggest survival factors

How Covid changed the way people respond to public health warnings

Biological weapons, engineered pathogens, and institutional failure

How misinformation, rumors, and panic could accelerate collapse