SYRIA - Assad's Empty Pledge on Chemical Weapons

DO NOT drop our threat.  Assad is afraid, and dropping the threat will only give him more time to kill Syrians without consequence.

"Syria Pledges to Give Up Chemical Arms if U.S. Drops Military Force Threat" (Part-1) PBS Newshour 9/12/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  President Bashar al-Assad announced the Syrian government is applying to join the Chemical Weapons Convention and is willing to hand over the country's chemical arsenal, but wants the U.S. to drop their threat of force.  Judy Woodruff reports on talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart in Geneva.

"What Issues Have Stopped the U.S. and Russia From Seeing Eye to Eye on Syria?" (Part-2) PBS Newshour 9/12/2013

Excerpt

SUMMARY:  The U.S. and Russia have been at loggerheads for years over Syria.  What makes the countries seem more willing to work on a solution together now?  Judy Woodruff gets debate from Angela Stent of Georgetown University and Andranik Migranyan of the Institute for Democracy and Cooperation.