Instead of victory, the goal must be a minimum of stability – and this still seems achievable. Indeed, US military withdrawal from Iraq can be accomplished without causing a major regional catastrophe only if America manages to establish such a minimum of regional stability.
摆脱这一困局的唯一办法是设定一个可以达成的现实目标。这个目标必须是最小的稳定性，而不是胜利。这似乎还是可以实现的。的确，除非美国能够设定一个地区稳定性的最低目标，否则它从伊拉克撤军很难不引发整个地区的灾难性后果。这就需要建立一种包括各利益相关方在内的可持续共识。