The Chemical Weapons Convention
A Commentary
Edited by Walter Krutzsch, Eric Myjer, and Ralf Trapp
This book provides an article-by-article commentary on
the text of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and its Annexes, one of the
cornerstone disarmament and arms control agreements. It requires the verified
elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction and their
means of production by all its States Parties within established time lines,
and that prohibits any activities to develop or otherwise acquire such weapons.
Cross-cutting chapters alongside the detailed
commentary, by those intimately involved in the development of the Convention,
assess the history of the efforts to prohibit chemical weapons, the adoption of
the Convention and the work of the Preparatory Commission, the entry into force
of the Convention to the Second Review Conference, and the need for a new
approach for the governance of chemical weapons.
Written by those involved in its creation and implementation,
this book critically reviews the practices adopted in implementing the
Convention, as well as the challenges ahead, and provides legal commentary on,
and guidance for, its future role. It assesses how to adapt its implementation
to advances in science and technology, including the discovery of new chemicals
and the development of biochemical 'non-lethal' compounds that influence
behaviour. It addresses the legal framework within which the Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) takes decisions, both with regard to
the OPCW's own regulatory framework and regarding wider international norms,
accepted principles, and practices. The Commentary draws conclusions on how the
prohibitions against chemical weapons can be strengthened and the stature of
the OPCW protected. It highlights the involvement of industry and academia in
this prohibition, creating a symbiosis between effective governance and the
legal framework of the Convention.
This book is an authoritative, scholarly work for
anyone interested in the Chemical Weapons Convention, in international
disarmament and arms control law, and in the work of international
organizations, and a practical guide for individuals and institutions involved
in the Convention's day-to-day implementation.
