No / Scientific and technological change in the life sciences is currently transforming the problem of preventing biological warfare and biological terrorism. This transformation will demand a radical and rigorous new approach to biochemical arms control, for which the existing prohibition regimes for chemical and biological weapons are necessary but insufficient building blocks. Examples from the areas of immunology, neurosciences, and the neuroendocrine-immune system are used to show the magnitude of the problem. This book will conclude with outlining additional measures required to control biochemical weapons in the 2lst Century.

The aim of this diploma thesis was "To Analyse the awareness of the population in the area of South Bohemia region in context of emergencies in case of using weapons of mass destruction". In the theoretical part of the thesis the issue of the weapons of mass destruction is described from the description of particular groups to some historical consequences, to their arrangement or detailed description of the main types of weapons, and their harmful effects on a human body. As the issue is really wide, the main text is focused on the basic specification for easier understanding. Not many details are presented, but the most important information and some sidelights were given the priority. The target of the thesis was not to prepare a detailed and broad description, but on the other hand the comprehensive view of the studied issue, so a reader can obtain clear and brief analysis of the topic. For the practical part of the thesis the quantitative research and the method of a survey for obtaining data were chosen and done from January to March 2019. The questionnaire consists of four parts. Each part is specifically orientated. In the introductory part of the questionnaire there are three initial questions given to divide the responders according to their gender, age and education. After that there is the part A, which consists of ten questions, and it is aimed at the public awareness about the issue of public safety. The other parts B, C and D have five questions each, and they are aimed at the particular weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The main goal of the survey was to find the level of the public awareness in South Bohemia region. The obtained data show that the correct answers reached approx. 55 %, but the range of all particular correct answers was from 30 % up to 83 %. These results show that there is potential room for improvement of the public awareness by simple and well-arranged brochures, by creating professional web-sides or groups for modern society that can use social network such as Facebook or Instagram. The diploma thesis can be also used as an educational material.

This security study attempts to explain the dynamics of international conflict management of an intrastate conflict, through a combination of three theoretical frameworks. The conflict in Syria is shown to be managed mainly through strategies using coercive diplomacy, and some main contributions within the research field relating to strategies of coercion are used for guidance, to important factors which could affect coercive international conflict management, as well as to additional theories which could enhance the study’s explanatory power through a combined theoretical framework. The two added theoretical frameworks are Power Balancing and a Multidimensional concept of Power. With the aid of analytical tools derived from this combined framework the conflict management is analysed within both a multilateral and unilateral setting, offering some explanation as to why international conflict management (practiced by UNSC multilaterally and USA unilaterally) has shown so little progress in regard to the conflict, as well as why one significant, though limited, result could be achieved regarding the destruction of the Syrian regime’s chemical weapons arsenal.

In 1998 the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement were developed following years of crises faced by the millions of people experiencing forced displacement, especially those internally displaced. These Principles were widely considered to be precedent setting, both historically and normatively. However, the examination of the construction of the international norms that underpin the Principles indicates that there are important epistemological weaknesses in widely used constructivist frameworks that understand normative shifts in international relations. They are critiqued as being impedingly linear, temporally compressed and analytically obstructive in its agent-centric view of norm cascading. This research aims to address some of these gaps with an enhanced life-cycle model using cluster genealogies and the processes of replication and particularization. The reformulated framework is tested for robustness and feasibility using two preliminary cases – UNSC Resolution 1325 and the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is then used to conduct an in-depth original analysis of the development of the 1998 UN Guiding Principles. The findings in the case of the Guiding Principles show, for example, that though the acceptance of the IDP definition was a big leap, the replication and particularization of human rights limits the humanitarian scope of the Guiding Principles, and also brings into question existing humanitarian protection of IDPs under the Geneva Conventions. Meanwhile, rooting them in ‘sovereignty as responsibility’ has not shifted the community of states’ intersubjective take on sovereignty, but it has added to the existing normative tension – individual vs. state – that underpins the very understanding of sovereignty.

This paper will focus on three alternative options for addressing the current crisis in Syria (direct military intervention, arming the rebels, and a diplomatic/political solution) that have been discussed by both scholars and politicians. The paper is divided into four main chapters. The introduction is the first one. The second chapter presents the three alternative policies, and the debate among some scholars and politicians in relevant issues. In the third chapter, the author analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments for each alternative. In chapter four, the author offers his recommendation by determining the best policy to pursue in Syria, arguing why it is the most suitable one.

This paper examines the possible future of chemical weapons through an exploration of the origins and history of legal proscriptions on their use and the practical utility of their procurement and use. Past public misunderstanding of the extent of the chemical weapons threat, exacerbated by propaganda, as well as fears of retaliatory use motivated efforts to ban the use of chemical weapons. These prohibitions have had and continue to have weaknesses and loopholes that prevent their intentions from being fully realized. While chemical agents have a wide variety of applications and have several unique advantages, including psychological effects on victims, their use is limited by several drawbacks. The accessibility of some agents is also limited for actors who are not major powers. Recent developments in chemical weapons use, especially their use in the Syrian civil war, inform present understanding of international resolve to prevent chemical weapons use and the continued advantages chemical weapons provide. These findings provide a framework to understand future opportunities for actors to produce chemical weapons and the likelihood that these actors will actually use chemical weapons.

L’impression moléculaire de polymères est une technique utile pour créer des récepteurs artificiels capables de lier sélectivement des substrats. Cette propriété de reconnaissance rend les polymères à empreintes moléculaires particulièrement intéressants pour développer des catalyseurs macromoléculaires. Notre objectif a ainsi été d’accéder à un catalyseur supramoléculaire recyclable et capable d’oxyder des dérivés du soufre dans des conditions hétérogènes en présence d’un oxydant doux et éco-compatible tel que le peroxyde d’hydrogène. Compte-tenu de l’engagement du laboratoire dans la lutte contre les armes chimiques, nous avons décidé d’orienter nos travaux vers la mise au point d’un système catalytique qui serait utile pour la décontamination de surfaces ou de matériels, suite à l’exposition à certains composés dont la détoxification passe par l’oxydation sélective d’un sulfure. Nous avons ainsi préparé un MIP à base de porphyrine dont nous avons testé l'efficacité dans l'oxydation de divers sulfures d’intérêt. Les conditions douces utilisées pour la catalyse ont ainsi permis de contrôler le degré d’oxydation d’un simulant de l’ypérite, en obtenant avec une très grande sélectivité le dérivé sulfoxyde, sans que le dérivé sulfone qui serait tout aussi toxique que l’arme chimique elle-même ne se forme. Aves des structures plus proches de celle du VX, nous avons montré qu’il était possible d’oxyder régiosélectivement le soufre, et mis en évidence l’intérêt de ce procédé pour faciliter le clivage d’une liaison C-S. Cette approche représente donc une stratégie de décontamination intéressante qu’il conviendra d’évaluer dans le cas de véritables agents de guerre chimique. / Molecular imprinting polymer is a useful technique for creating artificial receptors able of selectively binding substrates. These recognition properties are particularly interesting for developing macromolecular catalysts. Our aim was to access to a reusable supramolecular catalyst able of oxidizing sulfur derivatives under heterogeneous conditions in the presence of a mild and eco-sustainable oxidant such as hydrogen peroxide. Given the expertise of the team, we decided to focus our work on the development of a catalytic system for the decontamination of surfaces or equipment, after an exposure to compounds that can be detoxified by a selective oxidation of sulfides. Thus, we prepared a porphyrin-based MIP that we tested in the oxidation of various sulfides. The mild conditions used for the catalysis allowed a control of the oxidation degree of a simulant of yperite, leading to a great selectivity the sulfoxide derivative, and avoiding the toxic sulfone formation. With other structures similar to VX, we showed that it is possible to regioselectively oxidize the sulfur atom, and highlighted the interest of this process to facilitate the cleavage of a C-S bond. This approach is then an interesting decontamination strategy that will be evaluated in the future to the case of true chemical warfare agents.

This thesis deals with the debate on non-lethal chemical weapons under the Chemical Weapons Convention regime. I examine the evolution of the debate between 2002 and 2017 and use a modified theory of the cycle of normative change to analyse it. Apart from identifying main actors and actions taken by them, I identify the rule structure, rule tensions and arguments that are central to the issue of riot control agents and incapacitating chemical agents, later re-branded as central nervous system acting chemicals. In addition, I highlight the importance of (re-)framing and issue decoupling as successful strategies for norm- entrepreneurs to employ when gathering support.

The purpose of this case study was to compare the news coverage of The Umatilla chemical weapons by examining newspapers from different communities: The Oregonian and The Hermiston Herald. The author examines solution frames, pluralistic frames, episodic frames, and thematic frames and compares them across two newspapers. The study found the difference was not significant when comparing the use of solution frames between The Hermiston Herald and The Oregonian. In addition, there was not a significant difference in use of pluralistic framing by The Hermiston Herald and The Oregonian. However, there was a significant difference in the sources presented in the newspaper articles. There was also a significant presence of episodic frames compared to thematic frames in both the newspapers under examination.

In 1998 the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement were developed following years of crises faced by the millions of people experiencing forced displacement, especially those internally displaced. These Principles were widely considered to be precedent setting, both historically and normatively. However, the examination of the construction of the international norms that underpin the Principles indicates that there are important epistemological weaknesses in widely used constructivist frameworks that understand normative shifts in international relations. They are critiqued as being impedingly linear, temporally compressed and analytically obstructive in its agent-centric view of norm cascading. This research aims to address some of these gaps with an enhanced life-cycle model using cluster genealogies and the processes of replication and particularization. The reformulated framework is tested for robustness and feasibility using two preliminary cases – UNSC Resolution 1325 and the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is then used to conduct an in-depth original analysis of the development of the 1998 UN Guiding Principles. The findings in the case of the Guiding Principles show, for example, that though the acceptance of the IDP definition was a big leap, the replication and particularization of human rights limits the humanitarian scope of the Guiding Principles, and also brings into question existing humanitarian protection of IDPs under the Geneva Conventions. Meanwhile, rooting them in ‘sovereignty as responsibility’ has not shifted the community of states’ intersubjective take on sovereignty, but it has added to the existing normative tension – individual vs. state – that underpins the very understanding of sovereignty.