But contemplate the future consequences of inaction and shudder: Syria, mired in the carnage between the brutality of Bashar al-Assad and various affiliates of Al Qaeda, a breeding ground of extremism infinitely more dangerous than Afghanistan in the 1990’s; Egypt in chaos, with the West, however unfairly, looking as if it is giving succor to those who would turn it into a Sunni version of Iran; and Iran itself, despite its new president, still a theocratic dictatorship, with a nuclear bomb.
只要想到干预我们就会倒吸一口凉气。但是否考虑过战战兢兢、坐视不理将会带来的后果：叙利亚被巴沙尔·阿萨德的残暴和基地组织分支机构的屠杀所吞没，演变为危险性远胜于20世纪90年代阿富汗的极端主义温床；埃及则陷入混乱，无论多不公平，在人们眼中西方都似乎在全力支持逊尼版的伊朗；还有伊朗自己，尽管更换了新总统执政，但仍然是掌握核武器的政教合一的独裁统治。西方将无所适从、盟国会感到失望、而敌对势力则有恃无恐。这的确是噩梦般的场景，但它的出现却并不牵强。