Russia’s hypocrisy on chemical weapons

This appeared in The Washington Post:

Russia has destroyed all of its Cold War chemical weapons stocks, President Vladimir Putin boasted Oct. 19 when he appeared before the Valdai forum in Sochi. He said Russia had “made a significant contribution to enhancing international security” by liquidating the bombs and artillery shells, “enough to destroy life on the planet many times over,” and he chided the United States for falling behind in this important work.

Five days later, the UN Security Council prepared to vote to extend for one year the mandate of the investigation into the use of nerve gas in Syria. That inquiry includes the April 4 attack on Khan Sheikhoun, an opposition-held village in Syria, where nerve agents killed at least 87 people. The United States, Britain and France have accused the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad of carrying out the attack, in which deadly sarin was dispersed.

And what of Russia’s abhorrence of chemical weapons? Not so much in Syria, apparently. Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, last week vetoed the extension, standing up for Assad’s brutal killing machine rather than the lofty principles advertised at Valdai. In fact, Russia and the United States had earlier backed the probe in Syria, known as the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), to finger those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria’s six-year war.

Russian officials said they wanted to see the report before deciding whether to extend the investigation. Now it is out and time to act. There is more to investigate and document about the use of these horrible weapons.

Russia deserves credit for destroying its Cold War chemical weapons stocks. But now comes a choice: to shield those who continue to use chemical weapons; or really to stand up for their elimination.