Syria: Clinton To Meet With Russian Diplomat; Sarin Fears Continue

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a news conference Wednesday in Brussels.

Some of this morning's news and analysis about the crisis in Syria:
— "Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister To Meet." (The Washington Post)
"DUBLIN — In a potential sign that Russia's support of embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad may be softening, Moscow's top diplomat will meet jointly Thursday with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the United Nations envoy for Syria, a senior State Department official said."
— "The Syrian Sarin Threat." (The New Yorker)
"Whatever the regime's real intentions with regards to its chemical weapons, the next chapter in Syria will be an ugly one, and before it is all over, many people are going to die—from bullets and bombs if not from sarin gas. Thanks to the boy-who-cried-wolf legacy of the Iraq invasion and the W.M.D.-that-weren't, it is not surprising that the alleged Syrian chemical weapons threat has thus far failed to cause panic in international circles. This could prove to be an unfortunate historical lesson, for, as things stand, there is no guarantee that they won't be deployed."
— "Is Syria's Civil War Entering Its Final Act, Or Poised For A New Phase?" (Time)
"It may yet be premature to suggest that the 22-month civil war that has claimed more than 30,000 lives is near an end. The regime still has an overwhelming advantage in fire-power, analyst Joe Holliday of the Institute for the Study of War told the Washington Post this week, and the limits of rebel arms and organization may mean that their victory remains many months away