Hypocrisy & Norm Enforcement
US Responses to Chemical Weapons Allegations against Iraq and Syria
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12980667 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mohammad Samiei (0000-0002-1704-5091, University of Tehran, corresponding author), Janice Webster (0000-0003-3217-5190, University of Tehran, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 323-345 |
| Publication date | 2023-06-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Middle East Critique (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1943-6149 • E-ISSN: 1943-6157 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/19436149.2023.2226886 |
| OpenAlex | W4382243987 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 25 |
The use of chemical weapons (CW) by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War appears to have been subject to far less decisive US responses than similar accusations against Syria during the Syrian civil war. However, the two instances have not yet been subject to direct scholarly comparison. This article treats the Iraqi and Syrian instances as two distinct cases and compares US actions to prevent, investigate and deter CW use on each occasion. After demonstrating that the US responded more decisively to the allegations against Syria, we then employ process tracing to locate both cases within existing theoretical discussions of US intervention in the global South generally, as well as CW norm enforcement in particular. In doing so, we propose that, in addition to other factors including the US aspiration to world dominance and its resultant framing of its material and security interests as well as a lesser regard for citizens of the global South, the anti-US stance of either the CW perpetrator or victim can also affect how the US responds to accusations of CW norm violation. This casts further doubt on the veracity of stated humanitarian motives for US intervention abroad
Chemical warfare · Framing (construction · Humanitarian intervention · Hypocrisy · International law · Iraq war · Norm (philosophy · Offensive · Political science · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · History · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Law · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
National Interests in International Society
Process tracing
Absolute Destruction
The Whole Range of Saddam Hussein's War Crimes
The Chemical Weapons Taboo
Case Study Research
An agonizing death”
Syria and the Chemical Weapons Taboo
The Libyan Drawers
Gunning for Damascus
Imposing International Norms
The politics of international chemical weapon justice
Determining Intent
Punishing the violators? Arms embargoes and economic sanctions as tools of norm enforcement
Neo-Orientalism? The relationship between the West and Islam in our globalised world
A conditional norm
The Syrian chemical weapons disarmament process in context
With Friends like These
U.S. Imperialism, Europe, and the Middle East
Defending International Norms
Instability and incoherence
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |