The war in Iraq was misconceived from the start, because it was an attempt to avenge the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by invading and occupying a country that had no part in them. Obama’s proposal to strike Syria, by contrast, is an attempt to enforce an important human-rights norm by directly punishing – through means that do not involve invasion and occupation – those who committed a gross violation.
伊拉克战争从一开始就被误解了，因为这是以侵略和占领与事无干的国家报复2001年9月11日的恐怖袭击。相反，奥巴马打击叙利亚的方案是为了强化重要的人权规范，其手段并不包括侵略和占领，而是直接惩罚犯下重罪的对象。这让人权重新回到了1973年9月11日后设定的美国对外政策核心位置上。