Fascinating discussion yesterday at @cwccoalition with @JPZanders + Alastair Hay on #whitephosphorus and its ambiguous place in arms control architectures (something i know very little about) 1/6 #opcw #cwc
Although not explicitly covered by the #CWC #OPCW, and inadequately covered within the #CCW, the inhalation of its white smoke (phosphorous pentoxide) can cause asphyxiation and permanent harm to the respiratory tract through its toxic, irritant properties. 2/6
If #whitephosphorus smoke is used intentionally as an irritant, how does that relate to the #OPCW #CWC General Purpose Criterion? It is remarkably hard to ascertain 'intent' especially given that the 'exceptions' under #CCW Protocol III provide scope 'accidental' exposure 3/6
The way forward appears to be continuing to raise the profile of the issue by engaging both #CCW #CWC Conventions on the issue and working with states who have concerns about this 4/6 #opcw #whitephosporus
Another route forward is to support efforts to replace #whitephosphorus with other obscurants with less toxic smokes: i.e. think of the smoke used at concerts or other events. The ambiguity around legality and intent can be overcome by replacing it entirely. 5/6
This is what I "think" I have learnt about #whitephosphorus and why we need to control, and the challenges we face in doing so. Any experts please do weigh in to correct or agree! 6/6 #OPCW #CWC #CCW

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Alexander Ghionis

Alexander Ghionis Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @alexghionis

Dec 8, 2021
Great #CSP26 report. Ensuring effective CWC implementation requires active participatory stakeholder networks/communities. A requirement for that is #OPCW transparency, and this @cwccoalition reporting re-establishes much needed civil society entry points to information [1/4]
This complements the great on-the-ground #OPCW CSP coverage provided by @CBWEvents, and is a small light in the dark hole left by the cessation of the publication of @SPRU Harvard Sussex Program CBW Conventions Bulletin [back issues found here sussex.ac.uk/Units/spru/hsp…] 2/4
This effort by @cwccoalition and others to inform/ structure civil society engagement with CWC/ #OPCW issues is a fundamental step in community building and bringing old and new voices in. It is now important for States Parties to add structure from their side too. 3/4
Read 4 tweets
Dec 1, 2021
1/4: Voting on #OPCW Programme & Budget has become common practice, representing difference of opinion on legitimacy of the IIT and - for the some in the 'no' camp - their denial that the Syrian government has used #chemicalweapons. But who votes no and how often? #CSP26
Here we see that P&B was, at least at CSP level, relatively uncontentious, until #OPCW #IIT was established by vote in June '18. In the old days, P&B bartering could be ironed out thru consultations with TS and at EC level. From 2018, voting no is one way to protest. #CSP26
3/4 - So, we have had 4 years of P&B voting: but who has been voting no consistently? The gaudy table below shows there have been 8 SPs consistently voting no: we can assume Syria would be here if they could vote, as would Venezuela, and a handful of others. #OPCW #CSP26
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(