Veronika Klymova

This project investigates why the prohi­bitions against chemical and biological weapons (CBW) remain compa­ratively robust despite weak verification and enforce­ment mechanisms. Building on the insight that CBW prohibitions function as moral norms, it com­bines perspectives from moral psychology and constructivist inter­national relations to trace how individual norm inter­nalization can scale up to collective adherence and regime resilience. By situ­ating the study within the broader CBWNet research agenda on streng­thening and safeguarding CBW norms, the project explores the con­ditions under which these prohibitions withstand contes­tation and how they might be reinforced. The aim is to gene­rate practice-relevant strategies for demonstrating, explaining, and bolste­ring the resilience of CBW norms in the face of political, techno­logical, and security challenges.