The new CBWNet Working Paper by Alexander Kelle examines the evolving salience of chemical terrorism within the framework of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the contribution of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to the global fight against terrorism. It traces the response of CWC states parties to chemical terrorism, analyzing how the issue has been prioritized in relation to other OPCW objectives, such as the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles. The paper finds that, much like state parties' threat perceptions, review conference responses to chemical terrorism have largely revolved around the elements identified in 2001 and have been linked most often to the international cooperation and assistance norms, and regularly noted the work of the Open-Ended Working Group on Terrorism.

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