, Columnist
Syria Crosses Obama’s New Red Line
Will chlorine barrel-bomb attacks on civilians force the U.S. to act?
Boom.
Photographer: Majd el-Ahmad/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is brazenly challenging the latest U.S.-led effort to stop him from using chemical weapons, and the Barack Obama administration has yet to say if it will do anything about it.
Two weeks ago, the U.S. got the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution calling on the Syrian regime to cease dropping barrel bombs filled with chlorine gas on civilians. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said the resolution, which passed 14-1 and was endorsed by all the permanent members including Russia, “made it crystal clear that the use of chlorine weapons was no less evil than that of chemical weapons.”