While national governments might readily comply and destroy all chemical arsenals and production facilities, a single individual or small group could manufacture their own chemical weapons if the chemical industry were not subject to regulation.

Understanding the various Schedules is no simple task and the OPCW must facilitate this understanding. Hence the need to provide information to the Member-States. At the same time, an automatic corollary arises, in that local chemical production facilities must be modernised in compliance with the requirements of the CWC. All participants thereby benefit.

New industries have also been developed, as companies vie with one another to produce the best mechanisms to destroy chemical weapons and their production facilities. There are also new industries being created, as former weapons manufacturing plants are converted to peaceful uses. The once dreamed of “Peace Dividend” after the end of the Cold War is a reality in this instance, for the Chemical Weapons Convention allows ten years for a Member-State to destroy its chemical weapons. This – with the assistance of the OPCW – allows time for a structured transition, so few jobs are lost. In fact, more jobs may be created in chemical weapons destruction and in the converted plant sites.

The only problem is the resultant proliferation of chemicals in the environment but this issue has not yet been addressed by the political establishment.

With proper safeguards, however, and improved accounting procedures, the OPCW may prove to be an excellent model for future international organisations because of this close liaison of government and private industry and the voluntary aspect of all treaty-based organisations.

There is little doubt that multi-national corporations have superceded national governments in the global hierarchy of power.