{"233081":{"#nid":"233081","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Professor Kosal Interviewed on Fox News","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ENunn School Assistant Professor\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.inta.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/margaret-e-kosal\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EMargaret E. Kosal\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;was interviewed\u0026nbsp;Tuesday\u0026nbsp;on Fox News on the suspected chemical weapons use in Syria, verification challenges, and the potential US responses.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELink to part 1 of the interview\u003Ca title=\u0022Kosal Interviewed on Fox News\u0022 href=\u0022http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2013\/08\/27\/us-officials-investigate-use-syrian-chemical-weapons\/\u0022\u003E:http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/world\/2013\/08\/27\/us-officials-investigate-use-syrian-chemical-weapons\/\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003E(Awaiting Link to part 2 of the interview.)\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the two part interview, she emphasized the need for confirmation of use, determination of type of material used, and the origin of the material. Kosal noted that weapons inspectors will be looking for physical evidence to verify CW use. She discussed the specific tell-tale chemical signatures that can confirm the use of nerve agents, like sarin, and challenges (technical, political, and due to the ongoing civil war) that UN inspectors might encounter. Depending on the surface and environment, these signatures can be detected days, weeks, or in some cases, up to months after use. Sooner is better because of the importance of verification in the political decisions that the US is considering. She also stressed that confirming who used them \u2013 Assad\u2019s forces, rebels, or other group \u2013 is more challenging than confirming use.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERegarding potential US responses, she emphasized that the US must define what is our vital interest and the desired end state. If credibly demonstrating that the international community or the US will not tolerate use of chemical weapons is the end state, then yes, she strongly asserted the US should respond if use of chemical weapons is verified. In the context of specific military responses, Kosal noted that the air strikes against Libya in 1986\u2019s Operation Eldorado Canyon and against Iraq in 1998\u2019s Operation Desert Fox did not substantively affect Muammar Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein\u2019s behavior.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWorking at the intersection of science and security, Kosal is among the foremost young experts on the weapons of mass destruction and the national security implications of emerging and dual-use technologies; such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and the cognitive neurosciences.\u0026nbsp;She earned a doctoral degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and has served previously in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), and\u0026nbsp;as an advisor to the Chief of Staff of the US Army as part of his Strategic Studies Group (SSG).\u0026nbsp;Her book\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.springer.com\/materials\/nanotechnology\/book\/978-1-4419-0061-6\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENanotechnology for Chemical and Biological Defense\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E(Springer Academic Publishers, 2009) explores scenarios and strategies regarding the benefits and potential proliferation threats of nanotechnology and other emerging sciences for national security.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWith international support growing for action against embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, questions mounted Tuesday over how the U.S. can confirm reports that the regime used chemical weapons against rebel strongholds.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn an interview with Jonathan Hunt on Foxnews.com LIVE,\u0026nbsp;Associate Professor Margaret Kosal talked about what factors U.S. officials are looking for to determine the use of these weapons.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"As the White House draws closer to a decision on Syria, Kosal believes the evidence supports a chemical attack."}],"uid":"27866","created_gmt":"2013-08-30 13:04:41","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:14:27","author":"Ava Roth","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2013-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2013-08-30T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"233071":{"id":"233071","type":"image","title":"Professor Margaret E. Kosal","body":null,"created":"1449243627","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:40:27","changed":"1475894784","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:24","alt":"Professor Margaret E. Kosal","file":{"fid":"197599","name":"kosal_gt_nanocenter_pics_2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kosal_gt_nanocenter_pics_2_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kosal_gt_nanocenter_pics_2_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":31772,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kosal_gt_nanocenter_pics_2_0.jpg?itok=A94xUsgE"}}},"media_ids":["233071"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"}],"categories":[{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"11687","name":"Margaret E. Kosal"},{"id":"167781","name":"Syria"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFariah Majmundar\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022tel:404-894-5601\u0022\u003E404-894-5601\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["fariah@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}