Gayle Tzemach-Lemmon discusses the possible consequences of the U.S. government's inaction in Syria and the disconnect between President Barack Obama's approach to the situation and the national security intervention proposals he was reviewing.

Benn Steil's latest Forbes op-ed, co-authored with Dinah Walker, shows why Greece may turn out to be a deciding factor in the German elections. While it is widely believed that a fresh mandate for Chancellor Merkel means more robust German involvement to end the eurozone crisis, they show why the loss of her FDP coalition partner could mean the opposite.

These Teaching Notes, by CFR President Richard N. Haass, feature discussion questions, essay questions, activities, and additional materials for educators to supplement the use of Dr. Haass's book Foreign Policy Begins at Home in the classroom. In this book, Dr. Haass argues that the biggest threat to the security and prosperity of the United States comes not from abroad but from within. He puts forward a new foreign policy doctrine of Restoration, in which the United States limits its engagement in wars of choice and humanitarian interventions abroad and focuses on restoring the foundations of its power at home.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov developed a joint strategy to remove Syria's chemical weapons arsenal by "the first half of 2014." The agreement was reached on September 14, 2013, during the third day of their meeting in Geneva.

New Iranian leadership and the UN effort to remove Syrian chemical weapons offer a rare chance for collaboration between Washington and Tehran—and advance nuclear talks, says expert Gary Sick.

In a section of this week's "Saturday Essay" in the Wall Street Journal, Steven Cook says that Turkey will continue its current course of action relating to Syria: "supporting factions within the Syrian opposition, providing refugee relief and advocating for international intervention to bring the conflict to an end."

In a section of this week's "Saturday Essay" in the Wall Street Journal, Elizabeth Economy says that China has been critical of the United States' Syria policy, hoping to highlight U.S. weakness and signal the onset of a power transition in the international system. However, she argues, China's observations about U.S. indecisiveness and Russian leadership only serve to emphasize China's inability to find its own diplomatic legs.

Writing on Syria, Leslie H. Gelb advises that "the only viable strategy at this point is to help prevent things from getting worse."

A preview of world events in the coming week from CFR.org: Diplomacy intensifies over chemical weapons in Syria; the 20th anniversary of the Oslo Accords is observed; and economies take stock five years after the Lehman Brothers collapse.

According to Steven Cook, "it seems that last week's assassination attempt and yesterday's bombings may represent the opening shot in another low-level insurgency."

The story of the tragic and often tormented relationship between the United States and Pakistan, and a call to prepare for the worst, aim for the best, and avoid past mistakes.

Richard N. Haass examines Russia's recent diplomatic success with an eye on the bigger picture.

Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Geneva on September 12, 2013, to discuss the possibility of Syria handing over its chemical weapons to the international community. This approach was proposed as an alternative to a military strike as a response to the August 21 chemical weapons attack in Damascus.

Micah Zenko says the United States should punish those who violate chemical weapons international norms, but also critiques the manner in which President Obama proceeds in this effort in Syria.

Julia Sweig urges Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff to look past the offense of NSA spying revelations and go forward with her planned October state visit to Washington.

Fred Kaplan contemplates what happens next after President Putin's offer to open negotiations with Syria.

Jonathan Tepperman examines six of the last major U.S. military operations—the Gulf War, Haiti, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and "highlights a few basic principles that should give the Obama administration confidence to forge ahead on Syria today."

Leslie H. Gelb reviews Unthinkable, a new book by Kenneth M. Pollack.

U.S.-Russian disagreement over how to respond to the conflict in Syria is spurring further deterioration in the relationship between Moscow and Washington, says CFR's Stephen Sestanovich.

The United States must make Syria's leader believe that any punitive strikes are part of a larger strategy to compel him to stop killing his own people, writes CFR's Robert Danin.