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Syria A step too far 叙利亚 偏离正轨 If Bashar Assad really has used chemical weaponson his own people in a big way, America mustintervene 如果巴沙尔阿萨德真的对其子民大规模使用了化学武器，美国必须干涉了。 WE HAVE been very clear to the Assad regimethat a red line for us is [if] we start seeing awhole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilised, said Barack Obama ayear ago this week. That would change my calculus. If reports from the Syrianopposition that hundreds of people have been killed by rocket-launched chemical weaponsturn out to be true, then Mr Obama should keep his promise. 一年前的这个星期，奥巴马表示，阿萨德政权要很清楚自己的警戒线，如果我们看到大规模的化学武器运送或者是使用的话，这会改变我的计划。如果反对党所说的数百人被火箭发射的化学武器谋杀属实，奥巴马应该遵守自己的诺言。 In recent months, those who previously argued for intervention in Syria have gone quiet.Thats not because the Syrian people are suffering any lessfar from it. The death toll is nowreckoned to be more than 100,000, 2m people have fled the country and a quarter of thepopulation of 23m is reckoned to be displaced within it. But failure to intervene early hashad consequences which strengthen the arguments against intervention. Sectarian chaosin the country has grown, undermining hopes that toppling Mr Assad would bring peace. Themore fighting there is between rebel groups, the more damage giving them weapons woulddo. And al-Qaeda-linked rebel groups have gained strength at the expense of the moremoderate ones the West would be happy to see take power. The stronger the radicalsbecome, the weaker the case for arming the rebels. | 
