Why the U.N. might never verify Syria's chemical-weapon attack

Don't hold your breath for an international response to the alleged atrocity

Syrian civilians
(Image credit: REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman)

The Syrian opposition's claim that government forces used poison gas to massacre more than 1,000 people could mark a turning point in the international community's response to the country's two-year civil war — but only if investigators can prove it.

France on Thursday called for a "reaction with force" if investigators verify the report, which was supported by horrific videos showing rows of corpses. President Obama previously called the use of chemical weapons a "red line" that would justify greater foreign intervention in the conflict. And on Wednesday, an Obama administration official said, "There are strong indications there was a chemical weapons attack — clearly by the government."

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.