Commentary
Dmitri Trenin
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Source: Getty
In The Media
Can Russia’s Chemical Weapons Plan for Syria Work?
Russia’s chemical weapons plan will require a serious re-launch of the political process in Syria.
Published on Sep 12, 2013
Source: BBC
The short answer is yes [the plan] can work, although it doesn't mean it will. Russia holds the key.
[The plan] will require pretty serious heavy lifting. It will require the Syrian government opening itself up, as far as its chemical arsenal is concerned, to the international community. It will require teams of inspectors to come to Syria and it would require that team to be supported by a peacekeeping force, a sizeable one.It will require a ceasefire in the areas where the chemical weapons are stored, [and] an agreement between the Syrian government and the international community, whether the UN or the Organisation for Chemical Weapons, and thus an implicit recognition of the Assad regime as the government or authority in Syria.
It will require a serious re-launch of the political process in Syria.
So [it's] a very tall order. [But] working along that path is the best option that we have. Military strikes would be a very bad option for everyone involved, except maybe for the anti-Western extremist forces in Syria and the Middle East more broadly, [who] would thrive in the wake of US strikes in Syria.
We don't have a choice other than to get our act together and do what has been suggested and what has been, in general terms, approved by the international community.
About the Author
Dmitri Trenin
Former Director, Carnegie Moscow Center
Trenin was director of the Carnegie Moscow Center from 2008 to early 2022.
- Mapping Russia’s New Approach to the Post-Soviet Space
- What a Week of Talks Between Russia and the West RevealedCommentary
Dmitri Trenin
Recent Work
SecurityNuclear PolicyGlobal GovernanceForeign PolicyLevantNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastSyriaRussia
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
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