The Wire

US President Barak Obama has been under increasing pressure to respond to last month’s chemical attacks in Syria but has received little support internationally or at home. A proposal from Russia, one of Syria’s few friends, has gifted Obama some breathing space and a diplomatic solution to the Syrian saga. Under the proposal Assad’s regime will surrender its chemical weapons to the international community but it is unclear just how easy it will be to locate all those secret stockpiles in the midst of a vicious civil war.