When someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat, it's natural to be suspicious. Magicians are professionals in deceit - and so are diplomats. But sometimes the rabbit is real.

America's threat of military action against Syria's regime receded into the distance yesterday as Washington and its allies decided to test a Russian proposal.

Editorial: The Russian plan for Syria's chemical weapons might not amount to punishment, but it would reinforce the international abhorrence of such weapons.

New Zealand is now firmly blaming the Syrian Government for the chemical weapons attack against civilians.

US President Barack Obama has said that recent diplomatic steps offer "the potential to remove the threat of chemical weapons" inside Syria without the use of force.

Syria says it's ready to state where its chemical weapons are and to halt their production, but the US says it'll have to do more than sign up to a treaty.

Battling stiff resistance in Congress, US President Barack Obama has conceded he might lose his fight for congressional support of a military strike against Syria.

Prime Minister John Key says a UN-backed suggestion to destroy all of Syria's chemical weapons as a way of diverting an increasingly violent situation is an "interesting proposal".

Prime Minister John Key strongly hinted yesterday that the Government would off the United States moral support for any punitive strike it took against Syria.

CNN aired graphic videos of victims that it said were shown to select US lawmakers as part of a push to shore up support for a strike on Syria.

The US tried to rally support this weekend for a military strike against Syria, running into resistance from the American public and sceptics in Congress and from European allies bent on awaiting a UN report about a chemical attack.

Tens of thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square for a four-hour Syria peace vigil, answering Pope Francis' call for a grassroots cry for peace that was echoed by Christians and non-Christians alike in Syria and in vigils around the world.

No matter which way you look at it, the decision was always a gamble.

The United States yesterday thanked New Zealand for its "strong and unambiguous stand" against the Bahsar al-Assad regime having used chemical weapons against the people of Syria.

They're supposed to be talking about growth and money, but the threat of war in Syria is creeping into nearly every conversation as the leaders of the world's 20 top economies huddle in Russia this week.

Foreign Minister Murray McCully says the Opposition will be offered a formal briefing on Syria before any parliamentary motion is put by the Government.

US President Barack Obama has gained ground in his drive for congressional backing of a military strike against Syria, winning critical support from US House Speaker John Boehner.

'Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me" - so the British Parliament decided that it didn't want to be shamed over Syrian intervention, writes Gwynne Dwyer.

Editorial: Barack Obama said Syria's use of chemical weapons would be a "red line", yet flicking the issue of a US response back to Congress looks a lot like passing the buck.

New Zealand has been asked to pledge moral support for a potential US military strike against Syria but the Government says it is yet to make any commitment.

The threat of Western intervention in Syria has markets on edge and looks set to add another layer of complexity to the global economic outlook, writes Liam Dann.