Virtual Briefing: Syria's Chemical Weapons Legacy: Current Issues and Challenges

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The nongovernmental Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition and the Arms Control Association will host a virtual briefing on Sept. 16 featuring remarks by Syria’s Amb. to the OPCW, Mohamad Katoub, followed by a panel discussion. 

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September 16, 11am-12:30pm

Register Today.

Fifteen years have elapsed since the forces of deposed Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad used banned nerve agents in an attack on anti-regime populations outside Damascus, killing more than 1200 people. The incident led to a global pressure campaign that brought Syria into the Chemical Weapons Convention and led to the removal of most, but not all, of its large and deadly chemical arsenal.

Today, Syria's new government and its people are still grappling with the deadly legacies of the civil war. Syria is working with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the international community to account for and demilitarize Assad's residual chemical weapons arsenal, seeking to assist victims, and pursuing accountability for the perpetrators.

Key Remarks: 

  • Amb. Katoub will provide an update on the important developments relating to the ongoing chemical weapons demilitarization efforts. 

Speakers:

  • Amb. Ahmet Üzümcü, former Director-General of the OPCW, on the organization's past contributions and its role today.
  • Fadel Abdulghany, Director, Syrian Network on Human Rights, on the importance of the Syrian government’s efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and what governments can do to assist such efforts.

Moderator:

  • Gregory D. Koblentz, associate professor and director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government.

This virtual briefing will be on the record and open to the public, reporters, diplomats, and members of the CWC Coalition around the globe.

Register Online Now!

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U.S. to Embrace Limited Nuclear War in New Guidance

August 24, 2026

The Pentagon is planning revisions to U.S. nuclear employment guidance that will emphasize the role of tactical nuclear weapons and limited employment options, while possibly de-emphasizing certain missions for U.S. strategic nuclear forces.

The changes would mark a stark shift toward an embrace of nuclear warfighting at the tactical level while, at the same time, potentially opening a path toward avoiding a strategic arms race between the United States and Russia and the United States and China.

Mitigating the Risks of AI in Nuclear Operations

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A special Arms Control Association hybrid policy briefing on Friday September 11 at 9:30 a.m. to  11:00 a.m. Eastern Time at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. featuring the inaugural director of the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, Lt. Gen. John “Jack” N.T. Shanahan and a panel of distinguished experts to explain the AI-nuclear weapons nexus and and examine options to mitigate the risks.

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Artificial intelligence (AI) integration in nuclear weapons operations is occurring at the same time we face a complex and growing array of nuclear weapons-related dangers. As the declaration issued at the July 14-16 Global Nobel Laureates Assembly on AI and Nuclear War noted its Rome Declaration issued July 16: "In the midst of a worsening nuclear arms race, we are embarking on an equally dangerous AI race."
 
There is a growing body of research and scholarship that strongly suggests that unconstrained introduction of AI into nuclear weapons operations (command, control, communications, as well as nuclear planning and decision-making) may lead to greater nuclear instability and increase the risk of nuclear war.
 
While major nuclear armed states have expressed their support for the principle of keeping "a human in the loop" regarding decisions regarding the possible use of nuclear weapons, they have not agreed on how to operationalize and enforce that concept and no bilateral or multilateral discussions on the matter are currently underway.
 

On Sept. 11 the Arms Control Association is hosting a special event featuring: Lt. Gen. (retired) Jack Shanahan and a follow-on panel of experts, including:

  • Herb Lin, Senior Research Scholar and Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and Security at the Hoover Institution and Stanford University.
  • Matthew Sharp, Senior Nuclear Fellow at the Center for Nuclear Security Policy at MIT and former acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for nuclear affairs.
  • Erin Dumbacher, Stanton Nuclear Security Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense and National Security program at the Council on Foreign Relations, where her research focuses on the impact of emerging technologies with nuclear weapons and security, nuclear force posture, and space systems. 

The speakers will explain the AI-nuclear weapons nexus and examine options to mitigate the risks. 

Register with the form here. 

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