Tonight, in a prime-time address aired in millions of homes across the country, President Barack Obama will make his case for U.S. intervention in Syria.
The speech follows a week of ramped-up pressure for support of the president’s measure. On Monday, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton addressed the White House forum with words backing the Obama administration.
“This is about both protecting the Syrian people and our friends in the region,” said Clinton. “The world will have to deal with this threat as swiftly and comprehensibly as possible.”
President Obama has argued that not punishing the Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad could strengthen the will of his regime and his allies in the region.
But on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry’s suggestion that Syria surrender its entire chemical weapons cache was well-received by both Syria and its closest ally, Russia.
Former Secretary Clinton stressed that the tactic not be used to stall action.
“If the regime immediately surrendered its stockpiles to international control, as was suggested by Secretary Kerry and the Russians, that would be an important step,” Clinton said. “But this cannot be another excuse for delay or obstruction.”
Joining The Takeaway to explain how President Obama may navigate the Syria puzzle is Jeremy Shapiro. Shapiro is a former advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on North Africa and Syria and now a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.
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