![]() According to sources cited in the New York Times, U.S. ![]() The massive exodus of 1.5 million refugees from Syria during the course of the past two years is not only a humanitarian crisis but an illustration of Syria’s porous, uncontrolled borders. Yet the successful employment of CWs would prove difficult for a small terrorist organization. It finds that there is a risk, albeit an unlikely one, that non-state actors could gain control over a limited number of CWs in Syria. ![]() This article explores the CW dynamic of the Syrian civil war and the potential for non-state actors to acquire or employ these weapons. These disputes raise questions about the security of CW stockpiles, and there is concern that non-state actors could acquire CWs in Syria. Russia, a Syrian ally, has claimed that Syrian rebels are to blame for the August CW attack. The Syrian government, however, has denied these allegations. government and other Western states have accused the Bashar al-Assad regime of using CWs against rebel forces and civilians in multiple incidents during the past six months, with the deadliest attack occurring in August 2013. As a result, the international community can only estimate the state and quantities of Syria’s CW stockpiles. Syria deliberately chose not to join the OPCW and has not been held accountable for its CW arsenal in the past 16 years. Although there are currently 189 member-states in the OPCW, Syria is not one of them. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which works with the United Nations, was established in The Hague, Netherlands, in 1997 to ensure that chemical weapon (CW) stockpiles are destroyed and that CW precursors are tracked and monitored to prevent the rogue development of CWs. ![]() WMDs can range from extremely complex weapons systems, where a high level of expertise is needed, to relatively unsophisticated munitions where only a minimal amount of scientific knowledge is required to create and employ them. The power of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons-all considered weapons of mass destruction (WMD)-does not necessarily rest solely in their destructiveness, but rather in the anxiety and fear that they create. ![]()
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