Nevertheless, there are grounds for the US doing less in the greater Middle East than it has in recent years: the weakening of al-Qaeda; the poor prospects for peacemaking efforts; and, above all, the mounting evidence that, by any measure, massive nation-building initiatives are not yielding returns commensurate with the investments.
尽管如此，美国有充足的理由在大中东地区有所收敛：基地组织已经日薄西山；维和行动收效甚微；更重要的是，大量证据表明，不管采取什么措施，大规模国家建设运动都无法产生与投资相匹配的回报。