Erstellt am: 14. 6. 2013 - 14:58 Uhr

Crossing the red line

Reality Check: US pledges to send arms to Syria, Erdogan in talks with protesters, Iran votes, Danube 2 bridge opens, VeloCity 2013

The US says it is now convinced that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons, and has crossed the so-called "red line". President Obama says the US will provide military support to the opposition in a way that will be "different in scope and scale to what we have provided before".

Radio FM4

The red line has been crossed - but what awaits on the other side?

Military expert Paul Beaver says that Mr Obama may now have crossed a line himself, and the situation could quickly escalate out of his control.

Firstly, there is the question of how to supply weapons to the opposition without running the risk of them falling into the wrong hands on the way. Secondly, there is the issue of who the right hands really are. It is still very unclear who is who in the opposition, and who can be considered "moderate" among the numerous groups and factions.

Then there is the issue of how Russia might respond. Russia has already provided arms to the Syrian regime, and may respond in kind to any efforts by the USA to provide more heavy weapons to the rebels.

US involvement may end up opening a huge can of worms that will have an impact on everyone, everywhere.

Erdogan talks to protesters

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan hold talks with protesters and softens his line, but still pledges to clear Gezi Park.

Iranian Presidential Election

As millions of voters head to the polling booths, we take a look at the candidates. More precisely the cleric Hassan Rouhani who has been reaching out to reformists in recent days and gathering significant support. As foreign affairs expert Paul Rogers explains, it's a surprising development.

Danube Bridge 2 opens

The new bridge across the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania opens today. Nick Thorpe reports on the significance of the project that has taken around 40 years to bring to fruition.

VeloCity 2013

Cummins

As the Velo-City 2013 heads into the weekend, Chris Cummins meets "Mr Anti-Helmet" and finds out why he thinks cyclists should not be willing to accept token measures that have little substance.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to Friday from 12.00 to 14.00, and after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.