Syria Is Now In Charge of the UN's Disarmament Efforts. Really.
The U.S. says the Assad regime’s repeated use of chemical weapons on civilians should disqualify it from the post.
In ordinary times, the work of the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament, a UN body that negotiates international arms-control agreements, draws little attention. Then came this week’s news that Syria, a country with a well-known propensity for using chemical weapons against civilians, would assume the organization’s rotating, four-week presidency. The temporary post gives Syria the power to take the lead on issues the Conference is working on—meaning that the already deadlocked body will have an even harder
