President Obama has postponed his "decision" for taking limited military action to punish Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry has gone to Geneva, where he and foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov will discuss Russia's proposed alternative: placing Bashar al-Assad's arsenal under international supervision with plans to destroy it -- a dangerous job that could take a decade or more. Despite warnings that it can't be done during a civil war, we hear from a former weapons inspector who says the difficulties might be overcome. Where did Syria's chemical stockpile come from? Did the West, including the US, stand by and watch it build up? How much do we really know? Should more intelligence findings be revealed to overcome public skepticism that is deeply ingrained?
Is Taking Charge of Syria's Chemical Weapons Mission Impossible?
Credits
Guests:
- Yochi Dreazen - Foreign editor for Vox - @yochidreazen
- Richard Guthrie - Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (formerly)
- David Sanger - White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times, author of “New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and the Struggle to Save the West” - @SangerNYT
- Greg Thielmann - Arms Control Association