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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Is Taking Charge of Syria's Chemical Weapons Mission Impossible?

    President Obama has postponed his "decision" for taking limited military action to punish Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons.

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    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?

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Sizing Up Syria Chemical Weapons Proposal
    1. 0:00Is the US Arming Syrian Rebels?
    2. 8:18Is Taking Charge of Syria's Chemical Weapons Mission Impossible?You’re reading this
    3. 45:56Can an Ice Wall Fix Fukushima?
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Anna Scott

      Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Yochi Dreazen

      Foreign editor for Vox

    • KCRW placeholder

      Richard Guthrie

      Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (formerly)

    • KCRW placeholder

      David Sanger

      Pulitzer Prize-winning White House and national security correspondent for the New York Times, author of “New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend The West”

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Sizing Up Syria Chemical Weapons Proposal
    1. 0:00Is the US Arming Syrian Rebels?
    2. 8:18Is Taking Charge of Syria's Chemical Weapons Mission Impossible?You’re reading this
    3. 45:56Can an Ice Wall Fix Fukushima?
    Back to To the Point