Nearly 1,500 Syrians were killed in chemical attacks carried out by their government last month. Now a national debate has erupted over how the U.S. and its allies should react.
“This debate is about the world’s red line. It’s about humanity’s red line,” Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “And it’s a line that anyone with a conscience ought to draw.”
Though President Obama and Secretary Kerry are supportive of limited military action in the region, the prospect of intervention has faced significant push back from legislators.
But Syria is believed to possess mustard gas and sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent, and is estimated to have stockpiled approximately 1,000 tons of chemical weapons–raising the question of what’s at stake in the future of chemical war in the region.
Joining us to discuss this is Joseph Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation, and a member of Secretary Kerry’s International Security Advisory Board. He explains the threat of chemical weapon proliferation in Syria, and what can be done to stop it.