FAS In-Depth: August 28, 2012 Crisis in Syria

FAS In-Depth: August 28, 2012

Crisis in Syria

Escalating Crisis in Syria

Syria has one of the most sophisticated chemical weapons programs in the world and is suspected to have an active biological weapons program. Additionally, there are reports that Syrian rebels have acquired MANPADS, which are surface-to-air missiles fired by an individual or a small team. In a new video for the FAS series "A Conversation with an Expert," Mr. Charles Blair, Senior Fellow on State and Non-State Threats, and Mr. Matt Schroeder, Director of the Arms Sales Monitoring Project, discuss the crisis in Syria and the implications of rebels acquiring and using chemical weapons and MANPADS. Your support helps the Federation of American Scientists make a difference. As a valued FAS member, you're able to view this video before it is released to the general public. You can view the video here. For more information on the crisis in Syria, check out these FAS resources and much more on our  website. FAS Projects and Blogs: Strategic Security Blog Arms Sales Monitoring Project Weapons: Syria Special Weapons Black Market Prices for Man- portable Air Defense Systems Syrian Nuclear Science Bibliography: Open Literature Citations Review of Syria's Missile Strategy Syria: Most Advanced in Arab World in Chemical Weapons Terrorist Intelligence Operations Publications and News Articles: Aug 24: Al Jazeera, "Russia Says No Chemical Weapons Use in Syria" Aug 24: Agence France Presse, "U.S. Weighs Dire Scenarios to Secure Syria's WMD" Aug 24: Politico - Morning Defense, "The Chemical Weapons Conundrum" Aug 22: Los Angeles Times, "U.S. Has Plans in Place to Secure Syria Chemical Arms" Aug 17: New York Times, "Watching Syria's War" July 27, Foreign Policy - Passport: "What's Up With Syria's MANPADS?" July 26, New York Times - At War Blog: "The 3-Step Method to Analyzing Videos from Syria" July 19: NPR, "As Fighting in Syria Intensifies, U.S. Worries About Chemical Weapons" July 17: Christian Science Monitor, "Syria's Top Defector Says Assad Not Afraid to Use Chemical Weapons" July 17: Discovery News, "Why a Chemical Threat in Syria is Terrifying" July 16: Foreign Policy, "Just How Deadly is Assad's Arsenal?" July 16: The Atlantic, "Deadly Uncertainty: The Reason Syria's Chemical Weapons Are So Dangerous" July 13: National Journal, "Syria's Chemical Weapons: A Perfect Storm?" June 26: Christian Science Monitor, "Syria's Chemical Weapons: How Secure Are They?" March 1: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, "Fearful of a Nuclear Iran? The Real WMD Nightmare is Syria" February 15, Associated Press: "U.S. Watching Syrian Chemical Weapons 'Closely'"