如果美国选择与阿萨德及其势力正面交火，那么，他们就冒着与伊拉克最大的教派社区，即什叶派分道扬镳的风险，从而给反占领抵抗火上加油，也有可能让布什彻底失败。
Should the US choose to face al-Sadr and his forces head on, they risk alienating Iraq’s largest sectarian community, the Shi’a, adding fuel to the anti-occupation resistance and thus probably dooming Bush to failure.