Introduction: Unpacking the Mobilization of Shame

On 21 August 2013, the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad launched chemical weapons against opposition forces operating out of key Damascus suburbs, killing an estimated 1,429 people “including at least 426 children” (US Assessment 2013). The Obama administration condemned the attack as a clear violation of international norms and a crime against humanity by the al-Assad regime. The administration’s efforts to mobilize a coordinated international military response quickly stalled. The UN Security Council remained paralyzed by Russian and Chinese support for the al-Assad regime. Traditional US allies also failed to step forward. Most notably, the British parliament rejected Prime Minister David Cameron’s motion to join with the United States. Opposition reflected the legacy of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as questions over US claims over who was actually responsible for the chemical weapons attack (Watt and Hopkins 2013).