Watch live: President Obama addresses the nation on Syria

(Image credit: White House)

last updated 8 January 2015

Three weeks after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces allegedly launched a chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of civilians, including children, President Obama on Tuesday evening will address the nation about the U.S.'s plan for a response.

The situation has evolved rapidly over the past two days, leaving it unclear what exactly Obama will say aside from making a general case that there must be some form of American-led response. He is expected to at least endorse the basic idea behind a Russian proposal to have Syria hand over its chemical weapons and sign a chemical weapons ban as an alternative to a military strike, according to NBC.

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In the immediate aftermath of the chemical weapons attack, Obama seemed poised to launch a swift military response against limited targets within Syria. Yet would-be coalition members like Britain soon wound up on the sidelines, leaving Obama with the dangerous option of going it virtually alone. In a surprise move, he then asked Congress to authorize a strike, leading to days of frenzied activity on the Hill.

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.

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