The agreement reached between the United States and Russia to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons ties the disarmament process to negotiations aimed at ending the country's civil war.
That is surely a sensible approach. Unfortunately two major problems with the proposed Geneva-based process will prevent it from achieving its goal. But an alternative formula might just work.
The first problem with the U.S.-Russian approach is a failure to recognize the constraints facing the warring parties. The current regime — maintained for more than 40 years as a unitary, all-encompassing actor — has little leeway to offer concessions: There is no such thing as a part-time dictatorship.