How to Determine Whether Chemical Weapons Were Used in Syria

The World’s Marco Werman speaks with a leading expert on chemical weapons about the process of determining whether the Assad government has deployed them in its conflict with the rebels. He explains that collecting that evidence is no simple matter.

Conflict & Justice

A Free Syrian Army fighter wearing a gas mask, carries his weapons as he walks past a damaged tank, after seizing a government military camp used by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, near Idlib, June 13, 2013. Picture taken June 13, 2013. REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof (SYRIA – Tags: CONFLICT) – RTX10NNC

REUTERS

The World’s Marco Werman speaks with Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a leading expert on chemical weapons, about the process of determining whether the Assad government in Syria has deployed them in its conflict with the rebels. Bretton-Gordon is a former commanding officer at the UK’s Joint Chemical Biological Radiological & Nuclear Regiment. He explains that collecting that evidence is no simple matter.