What are the US reservations to the Geneva Protocol?
The United States was one of the initial signatories of the 1925 Geneva Protocol, but did not ratify the treaty until 22 January 1975. The US Senate attached a reservation preserving the right of the United States to respond in kind to a chemical weapons attack. President George Bush stated on 13 May 1991 that the United States would foreswear the right to retaliate in kind upon entry into force of the CWC, provided that the USSR, now Russia, was also a member of the CWC. In addition, the United States continues to hold that the Geneva Protocol does not apply to defensive use of riot control agents that would save lives during war. In this regard, the United States has specified the right to use riot control agents to control rioting prisoners of war; in situations where civilian casualties can be reduced or avoided; during rescue missions; and in areas outside the combat zone to protect military convoys from civil disturbances, terrorists, and paramilitary organizations. The Senate up
