Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell, a nationally syndicated columnist, contends in the following viewpoint that the Chemical Weapons Convention cannot fulfill its promise of banning chemical weapons. According to Sowell, an international ban against chemical weapons will not prevent aggressor nations from developing or using chemical weapons.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to Sowell, why didn’t Hitler employ his chemical weapons against the Allies"

2. What is the “joke” of disarmament treaties, according to the author"

3. Why would violations of the chemical weapons treaty be difficult to detect, in the author’s opinion"

The treaty to ban chemical weapons is another painful reminder of how easily we are misled by words. Who could possibly be against banning chemical weapons? The real question is whether this treaty—or any treaty—can...