U.S. Representative Ed Royce

Washington, Jul 18, 2012 - Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade will hold a hearing, tomorrow, July 19 at 2:00 pm, examining the challenges posed by collapsing states that possess weapons of mass destruction or dangerous conventional weapons.

One of the less-examined aspects of the Arab Spring is the impact of the domestic turmoil in various Middle Eastern and North African countries on the security of weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons. Libya and Syria highlight the challenge of insuring that these weapons don't fall into terrorist hands. Some have looked to Libya for lessons learned in dealing with Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile. Conventional weapons leaking out of Libya have contributed to instability in Sub-Saharan Africa. Recent reports indicate that the Assad regime in Syria has begun to move its chemical weapons, and this week, a high-ranking defector said he was "convinced" Assad would use chemical weapons on the Syrian people. What options do the United States have in dealing with such threats?

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