This report describes the SSRC’s role in the development of Syria’s chemical weapons and chemical weapon delivery systems, as well as the structure and operation of its procurement network.
Chemical
This is a list of the Wisconsin Project’s work related to chemical weapons. Toxic chemicals have long been used in warfare, most recently by Iraq, against its Kurdish population and Iran, and by Syria, against civilians. The Wisconsin Project focuses on countries seeking to expand their chemical weapon capabilities, and tracks dual-use chemical sales to these countries.
Treasury Takes Aim at Staff of Key Syrian Proliferator
On April 24, 2017, the United States sanctioned 271 employees of Syria’s Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC) in response to the Assad government’s April 4 sarin gas attack in Khan Sheikoun. The designations aim to further punish SSRC itself, rather than the contribution of any single individual. As such, the action highlights SSRC's central role in Syria's non-conventional weapon programs.
Syria Chemical Weapons Update: Front Companies for Procurement – 2013
Syria’s chemical weapon stockpile is reported to be one of the largest in the Middle East. According to a study prepared by French intelligence agencies, Damascus is understood to possess over 1,000 tons of chemical agents and precursors. This stockpile is thought to include several tens of tons of VX, several hundred tons of mustard agents, and several hundred tons of sarin. The Washington Post reports that the majority of the initial substances for Syria’s VX and sarin are stored separately, not in their mixed, final form.
Iran Chemical Milestones 1929-2011
Historical milestones in Iran's development of chemical weapons.
A History of Iran’s Chemical Weapon-Related Efforts
This is a brief history of Iran’s efforts to develop chemical weapons. The emphasis is on Iran’s technical achievements rather than its motives, and the essay relies primarily on statements…
North Korea Chemical and Biological Weapon Milestones – 1969-2005
1961: Dr. Yi Sung-ki oversees construction of the February 8 Vinalon Factory in Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province. Dr. Yi also assumes the position of director of the Chemistry Institute at…
North Korea Chemical and Biological Weapon Update – 2005
In October 2002, North Korea’s First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-chu, during a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, declared “North Korea does not have just nuclear…
Libya’s Iraq War Timeline
Key events in the lead up to and the aftermath of the Iraq war December 1988: Libyan terrorists bomb PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people. April 1999: U.N. suspends…
We Still Face the Menace of Iraq’s Hidden Horrors
The Los Angeles Times May 22, 2003, p. A13 Saddam Hussein’s regime has been deposed, and the world is slowly losing interest in Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. There are…
The Means to Make the Poisons Came From the West
The New York Times Week in Review April 13, 2003, pp. wk 5 As allied troops interview Iraqi scientists, the chances grow of finding the chemical weaponry that Western governments believe…