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Israel Has an Interest in Strengthening the Ban on Use of Chemical Weapons

(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Shlomo Brom - Limited punitive military action aimed at deterring Assad from further use of chemical weapons is possible. To achieve its objectives, such action should deliver a message to the regime that continued use of chemical weapons will lead to further Western military operations that will greatly detract from the regime's ability to survive. One of the advantages of such an operation is that it minimizes the chances that the Syrian regime's response will cause escalation, because its will to survive will prompt it to refrain from responding against the U.S. and its allies. On the other hand, if the U.S. attack is ineffective - for example, if it damages several empty sites using cruise missiles - American credibility and deterrence will suffer an additional blow. Israel, which is located in a region with the world's largest stockpiles of active chemical weapons, should have an interest in strengthening the norm of non-use of chemical weapons. IDF Brig. Gen. (ret.) Shlomo Brom served as Chief of the Strategic Planning Division.
2013-09-04 00:00:00
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