Having stated in March that the United States would “not tolerate the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people,” and having spoken last year about a “red line” that could not be crossed, he will lose face if he fails to react forcefully to the murder, allegedly by the Syrian regime, of more than 1,000 civilians by sarin gas. Of course, the risk of losing face is not a good reason for attacking another country.
奥巴马今年三月曾表示美国“不会容忍使用化学武器袭击叙利亚平民”，他在去年也曾说过有一条“红线”是不能逾越的。如果奥巴马未能对叙利亚政权使用沙林毒气杀害1，000多名平民的行为做出有力反应他将会颜面扫地。当然，不能仅仅因为怕丢面子就向其他国家发动进攻。