Going to Congress for approval was always going to involve more risks than rewards. Secretary of State John Kerry’s description of the planned US military response to the Ghouta massacre as likely to be “unbelievably small” almost derailed the utility of the US threat in concentrating Syrian and Russian officials’ minds.
报请国会批准所伴随的风险几乎肯定要大于收益。约翰·克里国务卿有关美国对古塔大屠杀的军事应对计划可能“令人难以置信的微不足道”的描述几乎彻底消灭了美国在叙利亚和俄罗斯官员眼中的威胁。而奥巴马政府更好地解释对阿萨德政权使用化武的合作策略其实一直存在，而并非俄国对克里思想泡沫所做出的灵光一现的机会主义外交反应可能会有所帮助。