This thesis research attempts to answer the question: Did the Syrian regime use Trickstery, and if so, did trickstery impact the international response towards Syria breaching the norm on the...Show moreThis thesis research attempts to answer the question: Did the Syrian regime use Trickstery, and if so, did trickstery impact the international response towards Syria breaching the norm on the prohibition of the usage of chemical weapons? Answering the question of whether the Syrian regime used trickstery is important because this could be one of the reasons why the international response was lacking towards Syria's transgression of the chemical weapon norm. Understanding the tactics the Syrian regime applied during their statements to the international press and organizations is important because norm enforcement can only then be successfully applied. This thesis studies the interview of Assad with the foreign press and statements of Syrian regime representatives in the OPCW to understand if trickstery is applied. The trickstery concept by Kurowska and Reshetnikov (2020) is applied by looking for the three trickstery characteristics: satire, norm overidentification, and plurality. The findings are that the Syrian regime has been using trickstery characteristics in their statements, with norm overidentification and plurality being two important aspects. The Syrian overidentification with the chemical weapon norms and the continued questioning of the independence and legitimacy of the OPCW have had an impact on the international response. Neutral states in the Syrian Civil War, for example, India and Brazil, are beginning to side with the Syrian argument of the OPCW becoming politicized by the West. The Syrian regime has successfully shifted the debate in the United Nations Security Council away from chemical weapons towards the enforcement organizations' credibility.Show less
