President Obama has asked Congress to delay its vote on authorizing military force in “Syria”http://www.democracynow.org/topics/syria while the United States weighs a potential diplomatic breakthrough with Russia. In a national address from the White House Tuesday night, Obama said the United States will explore Russia’s proposal to place Syria’s chemical weapons under international control.

President Obama: “It’s too early to tell whether this offer will succeed, and any agreement must verify that the Assad regime keeps its commitments. But this initiative has the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons without the use of force, particularly because Russia is one of Assad’s strongest allies. I have therefore asked the leaders of Congress to postpone a vote to authorize the use of force while we pursue this diplomatic path.”