Chemical and Biological Weapons
57 Articles
The United States Must Avoid AI’s Chernobyl Moment
Without smart and targeted oversight, the United States risks a Chernobyl moment — a public backlash that could cripple AI development.
Syrian Regime Crimes on Trial in The Netherlands
Charges against a Syrian man accused of committing atrocity crimes could set important legal precedents for future cases in the Netherlands.
Ten Years on From the Ghouta Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria: What Lessons Have Been Learned?
The Syrian government still has not been held accountable for its brutal chemical weapons attack on Ghouta ten years ago.
A Pandemic Isn’t the Only Kind of “Catastrophic Risk.” It’s Time to Prepare More Seriously for the Next.
If any good is to come of this crisis, it must be an increased awareness of America’s vulnerability -- and what it takes to prepare.
Clearing the Fog of War Surrounding Battlefield Use of Tear Gas
The United States takes the (minority) view that international law does not prohibit the defensive use of tear gas in war - and that this could protect civilians - but the risks…
The Eroding Norms Against Chemical Weapons Use Will Need More Than Another Syria Censure to Survive
A challenge inspection and an expanded mandate for a new investigations team are among options to halt the global backsliding.
National Security This Week at the United Nations (April 9-16)
US and NATO Plan to Withdraw Troops from Afghanistan; Taliban Withdraws from Planned Peace Talks in Istanbul President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he plans to begin withdrawing…
The Demise of Arms Control Extends Far Beyond Nuclear Weapons
Bilateral and multilateral mechanisms are disintegrating amid tech advances, and “grey zones” below military conflict thresholds are ripe for exploitation.
National Security This Week at the United Nations (Dec 11 – Dec 18)
Equitable Distribution of Vaccines an “Acid Test” On Dec. 16, the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Munir Akram said the equitable distribution…
It’s Time to Stop the Use of Tear Gas Against Civilians
It was a clear day on June 1 in Washington, DC when thousands of people protesting racial injustice and police brutality, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, congregated…
Accountability in the Time of COVID-19: Syria & Iraq
The coronavirus crisis has dominated the global news coverage, but the war in Syria has not gone away. The ceasefire brokered by Turkey and Russia in March 2020 remains fragile,…
National Security at the United Nations This Week
Responding to repression of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China, censuring Saudi Arabia at the Human Rights Council, stalled progress in de-escalating Yemen's civil war, OPCW findings…