At home and abroad, America's disastrous war in Iraq hangs over the debate on Syria, feeding skepticism that US military action can deliver as promised. "It's the elephant in the room," said Larry Korb, a former Pentagon official and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress....

The White House will closely examine Russia's offer to work with Syria to put its chemical weapons under international control but the U.S. Congress should still back military action to keep pressure on Damascus, a top aide said on Monday. "We want to take a hard look at the proposal,"...

Russia has asked Syria to put its chemical weapons stockpile under "international control" in a bid to avoid US military strikes, and then have them destroyed. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the offer was made during talks with his Syrian counterpart, and he hoped for a quick response...

Much of the  debate over U.S. intervention in Syria  boils down the conflict there to a clash between the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and an armed rebellion in which al-Qaeda affiliates play a significant role. Typically ignored in that conversation are the voices of the...