Exploring the UN and OPCW Partnership in Syrian Chemical Weapons Disarmament
Interorganizational Cooperation and Autonomy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12430675 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karim Makdisi (0000-0001-8045-0164, 1 American University of Beirut Department of Political Studies and Public Administration, corresponding author), Coralie Pison Hindawi (0000-0001-5981-0241, 1 American University of Beirut Department of Political Studies and Public Administration) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 535-562 |
| Publication date | 2019-12-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Global Governance A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1075-2846 • E-ISSN: 1942-6720 |
| Publisher | Lynne Rienner Publishers (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1163/19426720-02504003 |
| OpenAlex | W2995595217 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
After reviewing recent literature on international organizations’ autonomy and cooperation, this article explores the unprecedented partnership between the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons—implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention—and the UN Secretariat during the 2013–2014 chemical weapons disarmament in Syria. The article explores how this collaboration, embodied on the ground through the creation of a Joint Mission, evolved from hesitant, bureaucratic rivalry to an increasingly intense relationship in the aftermath of a large-scale attack near Damascus in August 2013. The research is based on wide-ranging interviews with senior OPCW and UN staff, and relevant state officials. The article shows how international shocks, high-level support from key Member States, and leadership at the Secretariat level produced requisite intra- and interorganizational consensus to mitigate turf wars. Relative autonomy of mission staff and bureaucratic flexibility further allowed skilled boundary spanners to build trust and increase the mission’s leeway, allowing it to navigate complex political challenges
Arms control · Autonomy · Bureaucracy · Chemical warfare · Disarmament · Economics · General partnership · International relations · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Rivalry · Sociology · Stalemate · State (computer science · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Administration
Theorising inter-organisational relations
Interagency Communication Networks During Emergencies
The Syrian chemical weapons disarmament process in context
Secretary-General Leadership Across the United Nations and Nato
S Lesson
Reflective practices at the Security Council
Exchange and Power in Networks of Interorganizational Relations
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |