The US did not offer any clear indication of what it thought should follow such an outcome, apart from some kind of election process, which in a largely sectarian conflict like Syria’s would amount to nothing more than an elaborate census. Lo and behold, political leaders, especially tough and terrible ones like Assad, tend not to embrace a process whose stated purpose is to eliminate them.
除某种形式的选举外，美国并没有明确说出今后的行动步骤，而选举进程在像叙利亚这样宗派冲突中不过是一次煞费苦心的人口普查。特别是像阿萨德这样强硬可怕的政治领袖，往往不会接受从一开始就以推翻他们为目的的政治进程。