The Two Faces of Opposition to Chemical Weapons: Sincere Versus Insincere Norm-Holders

2021 ◽  
pp. 002200272110570
Author(s):  
Christopher W. Blair ◽  
Jonathan A. Chu ◽  
Joshua A. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Mass Public ◽  
Direct Question

Prominent research holds that the use of weapons of mass destruction is taboo. But how strong are these norms? Investigating this question among the mass public, we argue that some citizens actually support taboo policies in private but are unwilling to express counter-normative opinions openly due to fear of social sanction. These insincere norm-holders are difficult to identify empirically because they are observationally equivalent to sincere norm-holders in direct-question surveys. To overcome this challenge, we use a list design, which allows survey respondents to indirectly express sensitive opinions. The results from three list experiments show that between 10% and 17% of Americans falsify their preferences over chemical weapons use when asked directly. In an extension, we explore our framework in the realm of nuclear weapons and elite behavior. Our findings advance a specific debate on the strength of weapons taboos, while our conceptualization of insincere norm-holders and methodological application have broader implications for how scholars might think about and measure norms in international politics.

20. Weapons of Mass Destruction

2018 ◽  
pp. 300-317
Author(s):  
James J. Wirtz
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Biological Weapons ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
State Actors

This chapter examines how weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) work and the effects they might have if used on the battlefield or against civilian targets. The threat posed by WMD proliferation to state actors is of increasing concern, and it is even more alarming if these weapons are deployed for terrorism purposes. A chemical weapons attack against a major sporting venue, for example, could kill thousands of people, while a successful anthrax attack might place hundreds of thousands at risk. The chapter considers how WMDs such as nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and biological weapons have been used in war and how they have shaped the practice of international politics.

20. Weapons of Mass Destruction

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Wirtz
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
International Politics ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Biological Weapons ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
State Actors

This chapter examines how weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) work and the effects they might have if used on the battlefield or against civilian targets. The threat posed by WMD proliferation to state actors is of increasing concern, and it is even more alarming if these weapons are deployed for terrorism purposes. A chemical weapons attack against a major sporting venue, for example, could kill thousands of people, while a successful anthrax attack might place hundreds of thousands at risk. The chapter considers how WMDs such as nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, and biological weapons have been used in war and how they have shaped the practice of international politics.

Dialogue on Middle East Biological, Nuclear, and Chemical Weapons Disarmament

2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. J. Taylor ◽  
Joseph A. Camilleri ◽  
Michael Hamel-Green
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Trust Building ◽  
Mutual Respect ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Critical Phase

Negotiations on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of biological, nuclear, and chemical weapons and their means of delivery are now at a critical phase after more than three decades of prenegotiations. This article examines the factors that have impeded negotiations in order to identify the key actors whose mutually reinforcing efforts are essential to its establishment. We argue that current efforts to negotiate a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems (WMDFZ) in the Middle East can learn much from the successful negotiation of other nuclear weapons free zones (NWFZs). Nevertheless, the circumstances in the Middle East are unique and require a more holistic approach. Success here will depend largely on a multidimensional perspective that brings together the energies and insights of a range of state and nonstate actors, not least civil society in the Middle East, where confidence and trust building is too complex and demanding a task to be seen as the preserve of political and geostrategic calculation. Enabling the societies and polities of the region to identify areas of mistrust and misunderstanding across strategic, political, but also cultural and religious divides in order to open up possibilities for dialogue and mutual respect holds the key to creating a favorable negotiating environment.

Biological and Chemical Weapons of Mass Destruction: Updated Clinical Therapeutic Countermeasures Since 2003

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Pettineo ◽  
Robert Aitchison ◽  
Scott M Leikin ◽  
Stephen N Vogel ◽  
Jerrold B Leikin
Keyword(s):  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Mass Destruction

Detonation Chamber of Chemical Munitions: Its Design Philosophy and Operation Record at Kanda, Japan

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K. Asahina ◽  
Takao Shirakura
Keyword(s):  
International Cooperation ◽  
Explosive Charge ◽  
Complete Separation ◽  
Weapons Of Mass Destruction ◽  
Chemical Weapons ◽  
Chemical Agent ◽  
Mass Destruction ◽  
Water Jet Cutting ◽  
Open Discussion ◽  
Technical Area

Destruction of chemical weapons is a technical area that involves extensive international cooperation, with open discussion among a wide variety of participants aimed at elimination of these weapons of mass destruction. The most common methods for destruction of chemical weapons are: (1) chemical neutralization and (2) incineration after separation of the chemical agent from the weapon’s explosive charge. When the munitions are stockpiled, the agent and the explosive charge are easily separated by means of reverse assembly or water jet cutting. However, for munitions that are not stockpiled, complete separation of agent and explosive charge is nearly impossible.

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