In 2012 a 20-year moratorium on state employment of chemical weapons use was broken. Since then there have been more than 200 uses – against civilians, military targets, and political enemies. These attacks have broken norms against the use of weapons of mass destruction and create a gap in the nonproliferation fabric – despite the robust international architecture of laws, treaties, agreements, and norms designed to restrain the proliferation and use of these weapons. Accountability for these recent attacks has been limited or non-existent, which threatens the credibility of the nonproliferation regime and only encourages further use. Leaders must find the political and moral strength to use a full spectrum of tools to re-establish this system of restraint. This event will discuss ways in which the international community is working to rebuild the system of restraint against chemical weapons, and CSIS will also launch on a report on this topic.
9:30 a.m. -
Welcome
Rebecca Hersman, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues, and Senior Adviser, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
9:45 a.m. -
Keynote Address
H.E. Mr Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
10:20 a.m. -
Panel Discussion
Moderator: Rebecca Hersman, Director, Project on Nuclear Issues, and Senior Adviser, International Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Dr. Yleem D.S. Poblete
Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance
Samantha Job
Counsellor for Foreign and Security Policy, British Embassy Washington
Nicolas Roche
Director of Strategic, Security and Disarmament Affairs, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
11:45 a.m. - Event Concludes
This event is part of a study sponsored by the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) and CSIS under agreement number FA7000-17-1-0016.