The Atlantic

America Is Teaching Syria a Dangerous Lesson

Bashar al-Assad seems to have gotten the message that he can do whatever he wants short of using sarin gas.
Source: Bassam Khabieh / Reuters

As the slaughter continues in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta—a besieged area on the outskirts of Damascus that is home to some 400,000 people—the obvious question becomes even more urgent: How can this abomination be stopped? There are no risk-free silver bullets or magic potions. There is no diplomatic fairy dust or holy water. But one thing is inescapable: Unless the United States is seriously considering military strikes against Bashar al-Assad’s regime—a regime up to its eyes in war crimes and crimes against humanity—any

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