Les ajustements structurels de l'industrie chimique de la France dans le cadre d'une procédure de désarmement et de conversion de la production des armes

The chemical industry has both civil and military activities. In the context of disarmament, it is an activity that must be seriously controlled, given the dual nature of this production. Normally, international treaties prohibit the production of chemical weapons and there should be no stockpiles of these weapons in countries' arsenals. However, any activity in this industry may be advertised as a civilian good that could have a lethal military use. It is the weapon of the poor because it is effective at relatively low cost. States deny that they manufacture them, let alone stockpile them, but in conflict situations chemical weapons can reappear at any time because of their low cost and lethal effectiveness.