Syria:

• Richard Betts cuts to the core of Obama’s challenge on Syria:  “To the extent that any policy is strategically sensible, it is unlikely to be politically palatable; to the extent that a policy can be accepted as politically legitimate, it is unlikely to be of much strategic merit.”
• I can’t see how Obama is going to secure Congressional support — here are the latest numbers.
• Here are some numbers on public opinion from around the world.
• Samantha Powers’ comments yesterday at the UN.
• Richard Price thinks the chemical weapons taboo will hold without a strike.
• Memories of Kosovo:  President Obama is already asking for an expanded targeting list. 
• US is withdrawing non-essential personnel and families from the US consulate in Adana, Turkey  and from Lebanon due to elevated threats.

And,

• My colleague and former Dean, Chris Benfey reflects on the passing of Seamus Heaney.  Heaney’s poems were the most astute and profound commentaries on the condition in Northern Ireland.