Arms Control Law


Book Description

This volume features a selection of the best scholarship on international law as it is relevant to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The essays consider the nonproliferation legal regime as a normative system and offer a more discrete consideration of international law in each weapons of mass destruction technology area. The role, authority and track record of the UN Security Council in this area are also evaluated.




The Chemical Weapons Convention


Book Description

The Chemical Weapons Convention is one of the cornerstone disarmament and arms control agreements, and the only global and comprehensive disarmament treaty that is being verified by an international agency. This Commentary assesses the provisions of the Convention and its implementation, with cross-cutting chapters providing a broader analysis.




Issues of Arms Control Law and the Chemical Weapons Convention


Book Description

The entry into force in 1997 of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) symbolizes the coming of age of the law of arms control as a separate area of international law. It is not only the first treaty whereby a whole category of weapons of mass destruction, viz. chemical weapons, is completely banned, but it also puts into place a comprehensive compliance control system. For this purpose a specialized international organisation has been created with as its sole purpose the supervision of the commitments under this arms control treaty: the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) based in The Hague. Supervision under this Convention is an example of compliance management, which is cooperative rather than adversarial in character, in spite of the elaborate and intrusive inspection regime concerning not only the military component but also the civilian chemical industries worldwide. Thereby not only States Parties' military security concerns are taken care of, but also the concerns of the chemical industries with regard to the protection of confidential business information. In general, this volume aims to provide a better understanding of some of the special characteristics of arms control law. One part of this volume highlights the unique characteristics of the compliance control model by providing a detailed analysis of the CWC, the OPCW and of the specific supervisory functions. The obligations of the signatories to the CWC are discussed in the other part. Although an important topic of general international law, clarity as to the obligations of Signatory States appears to be of special importance in the case of arms control treaties, for, given their securityinterests, it is crucial for States that at a minimum a "status quo" between all the signatories is maintained. The main contributions are complemented by shorter comments on various aspects of the topics dealt with. The articles are all written by specialists in the field - academic and practitioners- making this book a valuable source for academics, diplomats, (international) civil servants, and practitioners involved in the work of the OPCW, arms control (law) or general international law.




Nuclear Weapons under International Law


Book Description

Nuclear Weapons under International Law is a comprehensive treatment of nuclear weapons under key international law regimes. It critically reviews international law governing nuclear weapons with regard to the inter-state use of force, international humanitarian law, human rights law, disarmament law, and environmental law, and discusses where relevant the International Court of Justice's 1996 Advisory Opinion. Unique in its approach, it draws upon contributions from expert legal scholars and international law practitioners who have worked with conventional and non-conventional arms control and disarmament issues. As a result, this book embraces academic consideration of legal questions within the context of broader political debates about the status of nuclear weapons under international law.




Coming to Terms with Security


Book Description

This glossary provides clear and precise definitions of arms control terms and places them in a historical context. It introduces the reader to the primary themes and concepts in the field of arms control and explains relevant terminology. The publication looks at the major arms control and disarmament agreements related to conventional, biological, chemical and nuclear weapons. The information is presented in English and Spanish.




The Chemical Weapons Convention


Book Description

The most complex and comprehensive disarmament treaty ever to be adopted, the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is intended to provide robust assurance that chemical weapons will not be developed, produced, stockpiled, used or transferred. To implement and enforce the CWC and verify the ongoing elimination of declared chemical weapons production capacity and stockpiles, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inspects military and industrial sites in dozens of countries. OPCW membership now embraces over 95 percent of the world's population and 98 percent of the relevant global chemical industry. This book provides an in-depth explanation of the notable achievements of the CWC in a relatively short span since 1997, and examines the issues that must be addressed to ensure the regime's continuing vitality in the context of dynamic changes in the security environment, and in science, industry and technology. Featuring contributions from government and OPCW officials and experts in international law, industry, government and media, this volume highlights the challenges in implementation and assesses and recommends the means necessary to preserve the global ban on chemical weapons perpetually.




Preventing Chemical Weapons


Book Description

The life and chemical sciences are in the midst of a period of rapid and revolutionary transformation that will undoubtedly bring societal benefits but also have potentially malign applications, notably in the development of chemical weapons. Such concerns are exacerbated by the unstable international security environment and the changing nature of armed conflict, which could fuel a desire by certain States to retain and use existing chemical weapons, as well as increase State interest in creating new weapons; whilst a broader range of actors may seek to employ diverse toxic chemicals as improvised weapons. Stark indications of the multi-faceted dangers we face can be seen in the chemical weapons attacks against civilians and combatants in Iraq and Syria, and also in more targeted chemical assassination operations in Malaysia and the UK. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, and drawing upon an international group of experts, this book analyses current and likely near-future advances in relevant science and technology, assessing the risks of their misuse. The book examines the current capabilities, limitations and failures of the existing international arms control and disarmament architecture – notably the Chemical Weapons Convention – in preventing the development and use of chemical weapons. Through the employment of a novel Holistic Arms Control methodology, the authors also look beyond the bounds of such treaties, to explore the full range of international law, international agreements and regulatory mechanisms potentially applicable to weapons employing toxic chemical agents, in order to develop recommendations for more effective routes to combat their proliferation and misuse. A particular emphasis is given to the roles that chemical and life scientists, health professionals and wider informed activist civil society can play in protecting the prohibition against poison and chemical weapons; and in working with States to build effective and responsive measures to ensure that the rapid scientific and technological advances are safeguarded from hostile use and are instead employed for the benefit of us all.




Disarmament Under International Law


Book Description

An introduction to the regulation of both conventional weapons and weapons of mass destruction in international disarmament law.




Disarmament Sketches


Book Description

A memoir of the key negotiations which have substantially reduced the threat of nuclear war over the last 30 years




The Chemical Weapons Taboo


Book Description

Richard M. Price asks why, among all the ominous technologies of weaponry throughout the history of warfare, chemical weapons carry a special moral stigma. Something more seems to be at work than the predictable resistance people have expressed to any new weaponry, from the crossbow to nuclear bombs. Perceptions of chemical warfare as particularly abhorrent have been successfully institutionalized in international proscriptions and, Price suggests, understanding the sources of this success might shed light on other efforts at arms control.To explore the origins and meaning of the chemical weapons taboo, Price presents a series of case studies from World War I through the Gulf War of 1990-1991. He traces the moral arguments against gas warfare from the Hague Conferences at the turn of the century through negotiations for the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. From the Italian invasion of Ethiopia to the war between Iran and Iraq, chemical weapons have been condemned as the "poor man's bomb." Drawing upon insights from Michel Foucault to explain the role of moral norms in an international arena rarely sensitive to such pressures, he focuses on the construction of and mutations in the refusal to condone chemical weapons.