News
Kerry, Hagel Lay Out Military Objectives During Senate Hearing on Syria Strike, Washington Post
Secretaries Hagel and Kerry made the case that the congressional authorization the Obama administration seeks is to “hold the Assad regime accountable,” and not get the United States involved in a war with boots on the ground.
Allies’ Intelligence Differs on Details, but Still Points to Assad Forces, New York Times
The differences in intelligence estimates among the United States and its closest allies are considerable but not very significant. All come to the same bottom line: all the attacks involved sarin gas, only the Assad government had control over the chemical agents, and, whether they were premeditated or the result of “sloppiness,” as one senior American official put it, the results were devastating.
Support Builds in Congress for US Strike, Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration’s push for strikes in Syria seems to be doing well in the Senate. The big test, though, is in the House, despite support from Speaker John Boehner.
Congressional Syria Whip List, The Hill
The Hill is compiling and updating a “whip list” of where members of Congress lean on the Syria issue.
Analysis
Syria: A Mystifying Lack of US Preparedness, Fred Hof, Atlantic Council
The decision of President Barack Obama to seek congressional approval for US military strikes in Syria is constitutionally sound, but strategically appalling. Disengagement from the Syrian crisis puts US credibility on the line.
Obama’s Syria Decision and US Global Credibility, Barry Pavel and Alex Ward, Atlantic Council
Obama’s decision to seek congressional approval was wrong for three reasons: 1) the timing of the response matters; 2) the decision put unnecessary checks on executive authority for a military operation; and 3) Obama runs the risk of Congress voting “no.”
Syria, Obama, and the Value-Interest, Julian Lindley-French, Atlantic Council
What is striking about the Obama and Cameron decisions to go to their respective legislative bodies is how far the United States and Britain have come from the Bush and Blair tandem.
Obama’s True Intentions in Syria Become Clear, John B. Judis, New Republic
After watching four hours of testimony, Judis feels that a remarkably coherent strategy from the administration had surfaced—one that is similar to, but also a little different from, what the president or the press had previously described.
Government Sources
Syria Joint Resolution for Markup, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on The Authorization of Use of Force in Syria
The GOP Should Support Obama on Syria, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) and Rep. Tom Cotton (R-AR)