BY JACOB GRUNBERGER

The details of the destruction of the Syrian government’s one thousand tons of chemical agents are still being finalized by the United States, Russia, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the implementing body of the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). In addition to the negotiations, however, another question looms large pertaining to the chemical disarmament in Syria. Namely, how should the international community react if Syria or any other States Party to the CWC does not comply with the agreed upon framework?

To answer these questions, this brief will serve as an introduction to a series of papers designed to explore some of the different methods the international community may employ if such a dilemma were to arise. For more information on chemical weapons, please refer to our previous briefs which focuses on the history of their use, their composition, and methods for their destruction.