By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--May 15, 2015
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If you're having trouble keeping track of all the promises, threats, and "red lines" that Obama has applied to Syria and Assad, you're not alone. There have been so many that things tend to get confusing. However, one constant through it all has been a warning that, if the Assad regime uses chemical weapons, it would trigger a US military response.
Now we have widespread reports of the Assad regime deploying weaponized chlorine gas. So, if you're a President who's absolutely terrified of backing up his own proclamations with actual action, what are you to do? That's right. You move the goalposts."My commitment was to make sure that Syria was not using chemical weapons and mobilizing the international community to ensure that would not happen. And we positioned ourselves to be willing to take military action. The reason we did not, was because Asaad gave up his chemical weapons. That's not speculation on our part. That in fact has been confirmed by the organization internationally that is charged with eliminating chemical weapons. ...And I don't think that there are a lot of folks in the region who are disappointed that Assad is no longer in possession of one of the biggest stockpiles of chemical weapons of any country on Earth. Those have been eliminated."That's great news, but what about those pesky chlorine attacks? Well, never fear. He also made it clear that - despite being used since WWI - chlorine has not been "historically considered" a chemical weapon.
"It is true that we've seen reports about the use of chlorine in bombs that had the effect of chemical weapons. Chlorine itself historically has not been listed as a chemical weapon, but when it's used in this fashion it can be considered a prohibited use of that particular chemical."See how that works? Chlorine isn't a chemical weapon. It's just a chemical being used as a weapon. Phew!
The modern use of chemical weapons began with World War I, when both sides to the conflict used poisonous gas to inflict agonizing suffering and to cause significant battlefield casualties. Such weapons basically consisted of well-known commercial chemicals put into standard munitions such as grenades and artillery shells. Chlorine, phosgene (a choking agent) and mustard gas (which inflicts painful burns on the skin) were among the chemicals used. The results were indiscriminate and often devastating. Nearly 100,000 deaths resulted. Since World War I, chemical weapons have caused more than one million casualties globally.
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