You rightly conclude that the U.N. resolution on Syrian chemical weapons is regarded as a victory for Bashar al-Assad, but surely not just by the disheartened Syrian opposition but by the world at large ("Assad's U.N. Partners," Review & Outlook, Sept. 28). It is obvious that Vladimir Putin has successfully delivered a one-two punch.

He has contended that Syria's chemical weapons were merely a counter to Israel's stock of nuclear weapons, and no doubt for him Assad's undisclosed 18 chemical sites, hidden after...