Why would President Bashar Al-Assad use chemical weapons against Syrians? That’s the question I posed to Alistair Smith, co-author of “The Dictator’s Handbook,” on my America Weekend show. We discussed what Assad’s motivation was, whether it was worth risking the wrath of the US (if not the world), whether dictators can maintain power without outside help (in this case, Iran and Russia), and whether an American missile attack would change the dynamics of the civil war in Syria.

Listen to our conversation here.