7. The Chemical Weapons Convention

Throughout history there have been taboos against the use of chemical weapons.  For example, the use in war of “plague and poison” has been stigmatized in diverse cultures, including Greek, Roman, Indian, and Saracen.  In the latter part of the 19th century, there were several international attempts to codify the ban on chemical weapons, but those agreements did not prevent their use and their production for possible future use. In 1925, the Geneva Protocol was adopted, banning the use of chemical weapons and of bacteriological (biological) means of warfare. But this did not stop nations from acquiring and in some instances using them. 

Finally, in 1993 the countries of the world formulated a more sophisticated and far-reaching treaty – the Chemical Weapons Convention [CWC] – that bans the possession and use of chemical weapons and aims to eliminate chemical weapons, everywhere in the world, forever and under strict international verification.  In 1997 it came into force after 65 nations had ratified it in 1996, and subsequently that number has risen to 182 Member States.