Chemical and Biological Weapons

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“A Troubled Place”—Trump Doubles Down on Syria…While Also Giving Up On It

Former NSC official, Joshua Geltzer writes, "for Trump to double down on America’s mission in Syria by committing to a sustained counter-chemical weapons campaign while at the…

The Downsides of Bombing Syria

Air strikes would raise very serious legal and practical concerns.

Syria, Chemical Weapons, and a Qualitative Threshold for Humanitarian Intervention

An improved legal framework using a qualitative threshold—legitimizing humanitarian intervention against regimes that use chemical and biological weapons (CBW) on civilians—can…

Israeli Airstrikes in Syria: The International Law Analysis You Won’t Find

The United States engages in a one-off attack on a Syrian airbase and within a matter of days predictions of an end to international legal order as we know it are flying left and…

When Moral Compulsion is Characterized as a Crime of Aggression

As a number of my colleagues have been debating the lawfulness of the United States striking a Syrian airbase with 59 Tomahawk missiles in response to a purported chemical weapons…

Norms Watch: Tracking the Erosion of Democratic Traditions (Apr. 7-14)

Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of…

Tracking the White House’s Reasons for Bombing Syria

The Trump administration has offered a handful of reasons why it decided to bomb a Syrian government airfield last week. The Department of Defense says the strike damaged or destroyed…
An aerial view of the Shayrat Airfield in Syria with geolocation markers and two circles labeled “Post Strike Areas of Impact”

Apples and Oranges–Obama’s and Trump’s Plans to Strike Syria for Chem Weapons Use

One of the most important policy and legal questions moving forward is whether the Trump administration needs to seek congressional approval for military strikes in response to…
The White House lawn on a sunny day with the White House in the background.

(Apparent) Administration Justifications for Legality of Strikes Against Syria

[Cross-posted at Take Care] The following document has begun to circulate outside the government.  It is said to have been developed within the Administration.  I have not confirmed,…

The Use of Force in Response to Syrian Chemical Attacks: Emergence of a New Norm?

The April 6 cruise missile strikes against Syria in response to its chemical weapon attacks on Khan Sheikhoun have generated considerable commentary on Just Security and elsewhere. …
Flag of Syria with the chemical weapons sign.

Humanitarian Military Options for Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack: “Illegal but Not Unprecedented”

Without Security Council authorization, any U.S. military force to respond to Assad’s chemical weapons attack would be a violation of international law, but … Policymakers…

Questions Raised by Syria’s Chemical Weapons Attack

Details are still emerging about Tuesday’s chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun in northern Syria, but the US, France and Britain have already condemned the Syrian government…
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