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What the Syrian Weapons Charade Says about the Iran Deal

(Commentary) Max Boot - The Wall Street Journal exposed how Syria failed to comply with its obligations under the agreement with the U.S. to get rid of all its chemical weapons. "One year after the West celebrated the removal of Syria's arsenal as a foreign-policy success, U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the regime didn't give up all of the chemical weapons it was supposed to." In reality, inspectors are at the mercy of their hosts who, after all, control the country and can prevent the inspectors from going where they are not wanted. In the real world, both the inspectors and the U.S. government are far more likely to overlook supposedly minor Iranian violations, while telling themselves that it's for the greater good because being overly confrontational will destroy the entire agreement. And even if it's caught, as Syria has been caught, what will happen? The Syrian example suggests the answer is: Nothing. The writer is a senior fellow in national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.
2015-07-29 00:00:00
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