In characteristic shoot-from-the-hip fashion, Donald Trump has already promised that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad will pay a “big price” for the Syrian regime’s alleged chemical weapons attack this weekend. Yet here as in so many cases, Trump should think before he tweets.

The sad reality is that America’s ability to change the course of the Syrian war for the better, and without paying a “big price” itself, has been dwindling for years. What’s more, Trump now seems set on dissipating what little leverage the U.S. has left.

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