Chapter 4.2: The Verification of Dual-Use Chemicals under the Chemical Weapons Convention through Open Source Research: The Pugwash-SIPRI Thiodiglycol Project

Can non-governmental open source research help meet the information requirements of international weapons treaties? This chapter explores this question by considering the Pugwash-SIPRI Thiodiglycol Project, a non-governmental study conducted between 1989 and 1991 that supported the final stages of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) negotiations. The project worked to elucidate aspects of the dual-use chemical thiodiglycol (TDG), such as the nature of the global industry using TDG as well as its potential military uses. It also assessed different verification options for the CWC, including by evaluating whether various measures would be able to detect the diversion of TDG from legitimate to illicit uses. The project took place before recent developments in digital open source research, and the chapter finishes by considering the degree to which new technologies may enable more effective verification of the CWC.