Crossing a Red Line

President Barack Obama has said that use of chemical weapons in Syria would be crossing a red line triggering intervention. Satellite images, eyewitness accounts and soil analysis suggest that sarin has been used in Syria. British officials concur with the US that evidence is limited and requires further investigation; British and French officials are requesting a UN investigation. Despite earlier reports of chlorine gas used in Syria, the US resisted intervention on the grounds that the chemical is not banned by the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction. “Sarin, on the other hand, would be precisely the ‘game-changer’ that Mr Obama has spoken of, so there is a deep reluctance to confirm its use,” suggests the Economist. The US, in no hurry to intervene on shaky evidence, plans to conduct its own review. With Syria in chaos, investigators will want to determine who used the sarin and the level of intent. – YaleGlobal