French Intel Agencies Detail Further Syrian Chemical Capabilities

On Sept 2, the French government released the executive summary of its declassified intelligence report on Syrian chemical weapons capabilities, and the five-page document adds some intriguing new evidence that the French claim shows the Assad regime continues to explore new ways in which to use its chemical stockpiles against civilian targets. The French intelligence…

Want to Know the Size of Syria’s Opposition Forces? Ask the Diplomat.

If a United States senator wants to learn the size of the rebel force in a nation where the executive branch wants to launch military strikes, it turns out he has to ask not the top US civilian nor uniformed officials but…a diplomat. That’s what happened on Tuesday. When Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., asked about the…

Live Tweeting: Senate Panel Considers Military Strikes in Syria

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is considering whether to craft and move a resolution authorizing a military strike in Syria. Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey are testifying. Panel Chairman Sen. Robert Menedez says while he voted against the Iraq war, he supports a Syria…

The Good News about Syria and Sarin

Over the long holiday weekend Secretary of State John Kerry made the Sunday show rounds delivering the news that the US identified the gas used in last month’s chemical weapons attack in Syria as sarin.  While sarin is incredibly deadly, giving the Syrian regime an opportunity to kill many more civilians if it decided to…

Partisan Syria Vote Predictions Signal Close Tallies in House, Senate

[HTML1] President Barack Obama has decided to let Congress weigh in on whether or not to launch strikes on Syria. But will a force-of-action resolution pass the House and the Senate? The early predictions from lawmakers falls, not surprisingly, along party lines. Just take one telling segment from Sunday’s edition of CBS’s “Face the Nation”…

Democratic Lawmakers Join Republicans in Demanding Syria Plan from Obama

Republican lawmakers — as expected — took to the airwaves on Sunday, eager to pounce on a Democratic president’s decision to allow Congress to debate and vote on whether to go to war in Syria. GOP lawmakers repeatedly demanded Barack Obama show them his “plan” and “strategy” for missile strikes or they would vote against…