President Obama faced a serious predicament on Sept. 24, as he prepared to address the U.N. General Assembly: how to reverse the mess he’d made in the Middle East.

The escalating conflict in Syria had crossed a red line he’d drawn — use of chemical weapons against rebels opposed to dictator Bashar al Assad — and his administration had made just a feeble attempt to get congressional approval for military action that was quickly brushed off amid concerns that any U.S. action would empower Islamist extremists.