The 19th of March, 2013 marked a significant turning point in the Syrian Civil War as reports emerged of chemical weapons usage for the first time. So far, the United States has maintained a policy of arms-length diplomacy. That policy reversed on Thursday with the Obama Administration announcing its intention to arm the Syrian Opposition. However, Russia stands as a spanner in the works.
March/April 2014 and May 2015 stand as potential turning points.
"MOSCOW—The Kremlin criticized the U.S. decision to arm Syrian opposition fighters and said Washington's evidence that the Syrian regime is using chemical weapons was unconvincing, but said Friday that Moscow is "not yet" discussing its plans to deliver of air-defense missiles to the regime.
President Barack Obama on Thursday authorized the U.S. to arm fighters against the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, reversing a policy of giving only nonlethal support to the country's opposition in the two-year-old civil war. The White House cited confirmation that Mr. Assad's regime had killed up to 150 people with chemical weapons as the reason for its about-face...."
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