September 2012

Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Force of Law or Law of Force?

This policy paper looks at Syria's policy shift from denying it possesses chemical weapons to an indirect admission that it does, in fact, possess them and the response of the international community to this acknowledgement. The author emphasizes the challenge the international community faces in trying to convince the Syrian leadership to maintain control over its stockpiles and not to use them. He argues that threatening to prosecute leaders and commanders for war crimes/crimes against humanity may be more effective in achieving this than threats of military intervention.

Download: