The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) approved a resolution on Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons, but only after Russia proposed the deal on its own terms and virtually stripped the deal of any real consequences. The UNSC will have to vote later on punitive measures should Syria fail to comply. It was Secretary of State John Kerry who made off-the-cuff remarks about Syria turning over its weapons to prevent a U.S. attack that provided the opportunity for Russia to seize the lead role in the ordeal, but he quickly took as much credit as he could and is quite pleased with himself and the UN now. “The United Nations Security Council has demonstrated that diplomacy can be so powerful it can peacefully diffuse the worst weapons of war,” Kerry cooed.

Kerry also assured that, while U.S. military action is not part of the agreement, it’s also not “off the table.” We’re sure that Kerry’s tough talk over recent months – recall his “threat” (if you can call it that) of an “unbelievably small” military strike – has Bashar al-Assad laughing all the way to the inspections.

Indeed, Assad is more or less claiming victory. Removing “the chemical weapons is not the goal of the United States and their allies,” he asserted. “They wanted to change the balance of power and to protect Israel. We turned the tables and sent the ball into their court,” Assad said. “This move embarrassed them in front of the American public, in Europe, and even in front of the U.S. government.” It’s hard to argue with that.