Speaking in Sweden, President Obama made the case that the “red line” crossed by Syria was not his, but the world’s.” “The world set a red line when the governments representing 98% of the world’s population said the use of chemical weapons are abhorrent.”

+ Why can a government kill tens of thousands of its own citizens without crossing a red line? Why are chemical weapons worse than conventional weapons?

+ The Conversation: Chemical weapons and the scientists who make them.

+ Here’s a look at the key arguments being made by Congressional members in favor of, and opposed to, a strike on Syria.

+ FP: A doctor reports from the front lines of Bashar al-Assad’s war on civilians.

+ The Daily Beast: Life in Assad’s Army.

+ “Her hand is clawing up the girl’s arm; the girl keeps her eyes down and her jaw set. None of the children are smiling. They look as if they are about to be tortured, which is not an unreasonable speculation on their part.” From the New Republic: The Assads’ Creepy Instagram Account. And here’s some background on a Facebook post that could have come from Assad’s 11 year-old son: “I just want them to attack sooo much, because I want them to make this huge mistake of beginning something they don’t know the end of it…” Whether the post is real or a hoax, it’s an example the impact of social media on international discourse.