The US reportedly is mobilizing a coalition of allies for possible military action in Syria, raising uncomfortable questions. The target is not the Assad dictatorship, which the US opposes, but the extremist Islamic State—Assad’s mortal enemy. Which side is America on? And the developing coalition includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar—countries accused of supporting the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Are they reliable allies in the latest fight against terror? We’ll update confusion and contradiction.
Also, one of Afghanistan's presidential candidates withdraws from a supervised audit of election results, and Burger King and the flap over Canadian taxes.
Banner Image: Smoke rises during what activists said was an air raid by warplanes operated by forces of Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad around al-Tabqa military base at a government-controlled airport that is surrounded by militants, west of Raqqa city, August 21, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer