Syria’s Chemical Weapons Stockpile Far Larger Than Expected: What Comes Next?

A ghostly fog drifted over Khan Shaykhun in northern Syria on April 4, 2017, bringing with it the unmistakable signs of a chemical attack. Victims collapsed in the streets, choking and foaming at the mouth. Medics rushed to treat hundreds, some evacuating the wounded across the border into Turkey — though most remained, unable to escape.

At least 89 people were killed, many before reaching medical help. More than 500 sustained injuries. Doctors suspected sarin, a deadly nerve agent, as patients showed signs of respiratory failure and eye burns. Volunteer responders used fire hoses to wash the chemicals from bodies, and images of lifeless children piled in hospitals shocked the world.

It was one of the deadliest chemical attacks in Syria’s civil war — an atrocity with no warning and, for many, no way out. But it was hardly an anomaly.

So, what comes next?