The Chemical Weapons Convention Treaty: Present and Future Issues
Abstract
This topic was selected from a number of topics provided by the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), and it basically asked what would be the future of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) Treaty. Because the CWC is fairly current (signed in 1992, entered into force in 1997), most of the research was done using the Air University Library's periodical search engines. The paper describes the history of the CWC, to include the timelines of its evolution from the Geneva Protocol of 1925 to today. The treaty not only analyzes the use of chemical weapons, but also its production and stockpiling. The paper further describes the hotly-debated issues of the treaty, which include the political issues of the willingness of the signatories to impose sanctions against violators, the treatment of non-state actors such as terrorist groups or commercial manufacturers, and whether the treaty should reconsider its decision not to include chemical weapons that were dumped in the seas before 1985. The paper then goes over the issue of advancing technology in the area of satellite imagery and the affect it will have on the ability of nations to monitor the treaty for violations. The paper then summarizes and makes a recommendation to wait and allow the CWC process to mature before addressing the issue of a follow-on treaty.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA397233
Entities
People
- Robin A. Snyder
Organizations
- Air War College