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Volume 51, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 0165-4322
  • E-ISSN: 3050-9947

Abstract

Abstract

After the return of chemical warfare during the Syrian civil war, we now hear reports about the use of chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine. Overall, chemical weapons are rarely used and there is strong legislation against them, so it often leads to firm international reactions when they are used. In this contribution, I explain the role of chemical weapons at both operational and strategic levels, highlighting the importance of norm transgression. I demonstrate the operational role of chemical weapons in contemporary warfare, with reference to the Syrian civil war and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In addition, I argue that the strategic value of these weapons stems from the fact that their use creates a situation in which a normative appeal is made to the international community. The way in which the international community responds to this appeal reveals its normative integrity. The user can profit from this to expose potential weaknesses. Moreover, with the use of chemical weapons, the user communicates an implicit aversion to the international normative order. Combined, these two effects can seriously harm the ability of the norm against chemical warfare to constrain future behaviour.

© Anneleen van der Meer
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2025-04-01
2025-06-15
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Keyword(s): chemical weapons; norm transgression; strategy
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