The End of OPCW-UN mechanism. What Stands Behind the Russian “No”?

... the same time, it is very unfortunate that despite the assertion that JIM does not have any authority or jurisdiction to make a formal or binding judicial determination, its conclusions have already triggered some legal consequences. In response to JIM’s findings, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Syrian officials and military branches. Also following the report, the OPCW Executive Council decided to conduct additional inspections and samplings at certain Syrian facilities. However, the lack of an international investigation mechanism is highly disadvantageous as it demonstrates the inability of the international ...