Syria: The only red line should be to stay out

Syria is a civil war, not genocide. The killings are awful, but that is what happens in low-tech conflicts. Two sides, with the military balance steadily equalizing, are battling for control of the country. Such a struggle is unlikely to have a good outcome, whoever prevails…

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U.S. officials routinely make promises and threats—drawing red lines, if you will—which they do not back up. Washington has deemed many of Iran’s and North Korea’s actions “unacceptable,” without effect. Advice to Egypt and Bahrain has been frequently offered and just as frequently ignored. The U.S. has cajoled and threatened both China and Russia on issues big and small with little impact.

The world has come to expect the U.S. to act militarily when the latter presents an issue as affecting vital American interests. But it also is widely recognized—overseas, if not in Washington—that even the U.S. lacks sufficient military strength to constantly remake the world.

Appearing to promise unspecified action if Damascus deployed chemical weapons was a mistake, but no different than many others made by U.S. officials. Failing to act will merely reinforce a reputation already forged. This experience should cause the administration to curb its rhetorical excesses in the future, not one to join Syria’s tragic killfest.

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