Understanding The Situation In Syria

Congress reconvenes today, and at the top of their agenda is deciding whether to sanction President Obama’s proposal to launch military attacks on Syria. Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is denying the use of chemical weapons on civilians by his government. The situation in Syria has changed significantly since 2011 when protesters took to the streets of Damascus. Over one million children are living in refugee camps outside of the country and two million are internally displaced.

Kenneth Pollack is a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and the author of the book “Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy.” He talked with KUOW’s Marcie Sillman about the Syrian government, its relationship to the United States and its position in the Middle East.

Produced by Amina Al-Sadi