If the rationale for arming the opposition is not so much to win the war as to weaken the government’s resistance to negotiation, it is arguable that the elements of a “hurting stalemate” are already in place, with more weapons likely to produce nothing but more fighting and more casualties. The pressure that has always mattered most for the Assad regime is that capable of being applied by Russia.
如果武装反对派的理由与其说是为了赢得战争，不如说是减少政府对谈判的抵制，那么可以说，“有害僵局”的要素已经具备，更多的武器除了制造更多的战争和更多的伤亡之外别无用处。对巴沙尔政权最有效的压力是俄罗斯可以做什么。