Within our Humanitarian Initiative, we develop our work in 3 different tracks: research, media and survivor assistance.
Research
Overview of WMD usage in the region
By: Aayushi Sharma
The discourse on the establishment of a WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East has evolved over the years to take into account the strategic realities of the region. However, the discourse has been primarily based on a military and state-centric approach and there is a need to develop a humanitarian approach when arguing for the creation of such a zone.
With the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into force, the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons have gained international attention. For the proponents of such a WMD-Free Zone in the Middle East (such as METO), the need is to expand this approach to a wider range of non-conventional weapons.
The Middle East and North Africa, has suffered the consequences of the usage, testing, development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons attacks in armed conflict, nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining.
In order to understand the devastating consequences of the usage and testing of weapons of mass destruction in the region, there is a need to separate and categorise these weapons and the related activities. (Read more…)