Coercing Syria on Chemical Weapons: A Case Study of Deterrence and Coercive Diplomacy

Coercing Syria on Chemical Weapons examines efforts by the United States, sometimes acting with France and the United Kingdom, to respond to Syria's possession and use of chemical weapons over the course of its civil war. In particular, they focus on US strategy, which relied heavily on coercion involving both deterrent and compellent variants of that strategy. Deriving lessons from the most significant attempt in the post-Cold War era to deter use of a weapon of mass destruction, this book offers theoretical and practical lessons for both security studies scholars and policymakers.

Matthew Moran is Professor of International Security and Head of the Department of War Studies at King's College London. His research spans a range of security-related issues, and he has published on subjects ranging from the Iranian nuclear challenge to the coercive effects of sanctions.

Wyn Q. Bowen is Professor of Non-Proliferation and International Security in the Department of War Studies and Co-Director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King's College London. His research has covered a range of issues, including nuclear and missile proliferation and non-proliferation, the Iranian and Libyan nuclear programmes, deterrence, and threat reduction. Previous roles have included Head of the Defence Studies Department and the Head of the School of Security Studies at King's.

Jeffrey W. Knopf is Professor of Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS). He previously taught at the University of Southern California, the University of California-Santa Cruz, and the Naval Postgraduate School. Since 2012, he has served as the chair of the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies program at MIIS. Dr. Knopf has published widely, mainly on issues related to nuclear arms control and nonproliferation. He has also published research on prospects for deterring terrorism and on the impacts of public opinion and social movements on US foreign policy.