How can we dispose of Syria's chemical weapons?
Destroying Syria Chemical Weapons
"This cannot be a process of delay. This cannot be a process of avoidance. it has to be real, measurable, tangible. And it is exceedingly difficult I want everybody here to know to full fill those conditions. But we're waiting for that proposal. But we're not waiting for long".John Kerry, US Secretary of State
Syria's agreement to put its chemical weapons under international control for dismantling may have bought it some time.
U.S. President Barack Obama addressed the nation
yesterday blending the threat of military action with
the hope of a diplomatic solution as he works to
strip Syria's chemical weapons. (Evan Vucci
/Getty Images)
And it may have bought the U.S. a little time as well -- perhaps to make a better case with its citizens and allies for a military strike -- or to come up with another plan entirely to reduce the Syrian bloodshed.
Syria's acquiescence however, raises a new set of problems.
- Paul Walker is the Director of Environmental Security and Sustainability of Green Cross International and Global Green USA and has written extensively on the abolition of chemical weapons. He explains how Syria's weapons would be destroyed and the significant logistic hurdles that need to be overcome to do so.
The push to disarm Syria is also a diplomatic minefield.
- Tim Trevan knows how difficult it is to negotiate when weapons are involved. He was a senior advisor to the UN Special Commission for Iraq. Today, he's the executive director of the International Council for the Life Sciences, a non-profit agency devoted to global biological security. He feels the disagreements and tension between the major parties involved will make removing chemical weapons from Syria is very difficult.
The Russian proposal for Syria to surrender its chemical stockpile may have given many of the players in this drama some breathing room.
- Shashank Joshi guest believes not enough is done to prevent countries such as Syria from procuring these weapons in the first place. He is a Research Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute.
This segment was produced by The Current's Catherine Kalbfleisch, Pacinthe Mattar, Josh Bloch and Vanessa Greco.
Last Word - What to do in a Gas Attack
We've been talking today about Syria's chemical stockpile. Nerve gases were invented in Germany in the 1930s, and in his book the Third Reich at War, author Richard Evans estimates the Nazis had about 12 thousand tonnes of the stuff ready to be deployed in weapons.
It was never used, partly because of the fear of Allied reprisal. If nerve gas actually had been weaponized, it's hard to overestimate the ghastly consequences. One American awareness film anticipated enemy gas bombings -- and imagined civilians could prepare for such a thing.
Nerve gas needs speedy medical attention and sophisticated antidotes -- closing the chimney flue and a good scrubbing with soap won't buy much time.
For today's Last Word, a whole lot of optimism from the 1943 film, What to do in a Gas Attack.