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The World Next Week: Talk of a U.S. Military Strike Against Syria Grows, G20 Meets in St. Petersburg, Obama Visits Sweden

<p>UN chemical weapons experts inspect one of the sites of an alleged poison gas attack in a Damascus suburb (Abo Alnour Alhaji/Courtesy Reuters).</p>
UN chemical weapons experts inspect one of the sites of an alleged poison gas attack in a Damascus suburb (Abo Alnour Alhaji/Courtesy Reuters).

By experts and staff

Published
  • James M. LindsayCFR Expert
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy

The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed the possibility of the United States attacking Syria, the upcoming G20 summit in St. Petersburg, and Obama’s trip to Sweden.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/editorial/2013/20130829_T…]

The highlights:

For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:

Crisis in Syria: BBC News has the latest on the Syria crisis. Jonathan Mercer argues that Obama should “focus on what can be done to reinforce the longstanding norm against the use of weapons of mass destruction” rather than focusing on his credibility. Jack Goldsmith explains why Obama isn’t seeking congressional authorization for a strike on Syria. Jeffrey Goldberg says a missile strike on Syria could make things worse.

G20 Summit: Reuters writes that Obama and Putin may not hold an individual meeting on the sidelines of the summit and that a G20 body has suggested that the United States could improve “how it spots and prevents risks in the financial system.” BBC News reports that China is refusing to meet with Japan on the sidelines of the summit to discuss territorial disputes in the East China Sea.

Obama in Sweden: Reuters reports that free trade and influence in the Arctic will be high on the agenda for Obama’s meetings in Sweden. The Huffington Post explains why the relationship between the United States and Sweden matters. AP writes that Obama’s upcoming trips to Sweden and Russia complicate his decisions about Syria.