Chemical Weapons

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has finalized its plan for the destruction of Syria's stockpile of weapons and precursor chemicals, with the most toxic material to be destroyed at sea aboard a U.S. ship. But factors beyond the Nobel Peace Prize-winning watchdog's control could lead to delays.

Inspectors entrusted with the enormous task of overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpiles began their mission Monday, flying to Lebanon en route to Syria, where their first priority will be to help the country scrap its ability to manufacture such arms by a Nov. 1 deadline. Syria's Foreign Minister said the government refuses to sit down for talks with members of the main Western-backed opposition groups, putting a damper on U.S.-Russian efforts to hold a peace conference with the two sides by mid-November.

President Obama calls for UN action to back up the agreement reached to remove chemical weapons from Syria. Full video and transcript of the speech is available on the jump.

The Russian foreign minister says Moscow will push Syria to place its chemical weapons under international control. Sergey Lavrov said Monday that if such a move would help avert a possible U.S. strike on Syria, Russia will start work "immediately" to persuade Syria to relinquish control over its chemical arsenals.

It's always surprising when politicians use ultimatums to pain themselves in a corner, but while most of the country's recent examples revolve around no new taxes, President Obama's painted corner is made up of red lines and the potential for yet another war in the Middle East. Pride is a sinful thing, but it may be unavoidable — no matter how altruistic the motives to protect the Syrian people from its own government may be.

Despite a recent clamor within Washington policy circles and troublesome commentary in the US media regarding further military intervention in Syria's ongoing civil war, a new survey of US opinion shows little appetite for another war of choice in a region far from home.