America vows to respond to a suspected chemical attack in Syria
An artical from The Economist
——Donald Trump says there will be a “big price to pay”
THE video shows bodies sprawled（躺卧，扩张，蔓延） on top of each other, some secreting white foam（N泡沫，汗水；V 起泡沫，吐口沫，愤怒，沸腾） from open mouths. A baby in a nappy lies on his back, mouth agape, his eyes half open（一个裹着尿布的婴儿嘴巴大张着躺在地上，他的眼睛半拢着）. These are the victims of the Syrian regime’s latest use of chemical weapons, according to opposition activists. Medical staff and rescue workers say the attack on April 7th killed at least 40 people and injured 500 in the rebel-held town of Douma, a 17-minute drive from central Damascus.
Despite recent talk of winding down（放松，缓慢，接近尾声） America’s involvement in Syria, President Donald Trump says there will be a “big price to pay” for the chemical attack, which he blamed on Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s dictator, and his Iranian and Russian backers. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, claimed there was no evidence of a chemical weapons attack on Douma. A White House aide（助手，副官，侍从） hinted that military strikes were being considered. A year ago America fired cruise （巡航，漫游，游艇）missiles（导弹） at a Syrian airbase after the regime dropped Sarin gas in Idlib, killing dozens.
A Syrian military airport was hit by missiles on April 9th, killing over a dozen people, according to reports. America and France, which has also threatened to respond to the chemical attack, deny striking the base. Syria and Russia have blamed Israel for the strike.
Such attacks by Israel or the West will do little to alter the course of the war. Since February forces loyal to Mr Assad have pounded the rebel（反叛者） enclave of Eastern Ghouta, a suburb（郊区） of the capital. The blitz has worked. Most of the rebels have surrendered（投降）. Those in Douma held out longest, but they appeared to break after the suspected chemical attack. On April 8th they agreed to a deal with the government to give up the area.
Rebels still control several pockets of territory in the north and south（反叛者任然控制着北部以及南部的好几片区域）, but they are cut off from most of the international support they once enjoyed (see map). With Eastern Ghouta secure, Mr Assad can train his guns on them, hoping to make good on his vow to take back every bit of the country. The chemical attack, if confirmed, would be as much a warning to his remaining foes as a tool to crush the rebels’ will in Douma.
The biggest rebel stronghold lies in the north-western province of Idlib, which teems with fighters from across Syria. But if Mr Assad attacks, he may not have Russian backing. Turkey, which wants to send Syrian refugees home and is pursuing Kurdish militants on its border, has set up small military outposts around Idlib. Despite supporting different sides in the war, Russia and Turkey have grown closer. Their leaders met Iran’s president in Ankara on April 4th to discuss ways to end the conflict. The three powers increasingly see themselves as the arbiters（仲裁者，主宰者） of Syria’s fate.
America forfeited（VT.没收，丧失，N.没收物，罚金） that mantle long ago. Mr Trump has said he wants to pull out the 2,000 or so American soldiers who remain in Syria, fighting alongside a Kurdish-led force against the jihadists of Islamic State (IS). That would leave America’s allies, who control about 20% of the country, to fend for themselves against a belligerent （好战的，交战的）Turkey, an ascendant （上升的，有优势的）Assad regime and the remnants of IS. Mr Trump’s advisers seem to have convinced him to stay for now.
When he ordered the missile attack last year, he said it would “prevent and deter（阻止，威慑，威吓）” the use of chemical weapons. But there have been several suspected chemical attacks in Syria since then. France has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council. But Russia has repeatedly blocked efforts at the UN to investigate chemical attacks or sanction officials from the Assad regime. “What does it matter what happened in Douma?” asks an activist in the town. “What difference will talking about it make?”