--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Well, I think the U.S. has been careful…" description: "\"Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far in attacking Iran's allies, in particular in attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria, which have ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png" --- # Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far… ![“Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far in attacking Iran's allies, in particular in attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria, which have been propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.” quote by David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png) > “Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far in attacking Iran's allies, in particular in attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria, which have been propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.” [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The U.S. is deliberately limiting its attacks on Iran's regional allies to avoid escalating conflict, especially against Hezbollah in Syria supporting Assad. **In simple terms:** US avoids over‑reaching in Iran strategy. Key Takeaway Balance caution with strategic goals. Themes foreign policy military restraint regional stability Mood cautious strategic Type analytical political When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - military planning - policy briefings Key Concepts realpolitik deterrence proxy warfare Questions to Reflect On - How to assess the right level of force? - What are the long‑term costs of restraint? A Different Perspective Risk of under‑reacting may embolden adversaries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) [Bashar al assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bashar-al-assad/) [Iran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iran/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Syria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/syria/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It is always an eerie experience to sit among Bashar al-Assad's soldiers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fisk/it-is-always-an-eerie-experience-to-sit-among-bashar-al-assad-s/) [Robert Fisk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fisk/) > [Russia went into Syria basically to support President Bashar al-Assad. And the Western allies have said Russia's really done very little against ISIS. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-flintoff/russia-went-into-syria-basically-to-support-president-bashar-al-assad/) [Corey Flintoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-flintoff/) > [I don't regret at all saying that if I saw Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons on his people that that would change my assessments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-don-t-regret-at-all-saying-that-if-i-saw-bashar-al-assad-using/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ IS \[Islamic State\] has played a major role in helping Bashar al-Assad to reposition Syria on the international scene. Now, it is almost impossible… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tariq-ramadan/is-islamic-state-has-played-a-major-role-in-helping-bashar-al-assad/) [Tariq Ramadan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tariq-ramadan/) > [Bashar al-Assad and those who still stand by him are now responsible for the deaths of more than 20,000 in Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rice/bashar-al-assad-and-those-who-still-stand-by-him-are-now-responsible/) [Susan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rice/) > [Hillary Clinton failed to mention that her agreement with a precipitous withdrawal and declaration of victory in 2011 helped left swaths of territory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/hillary-clinton-failed-to-mention-that-her-agreement-with-a/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [ \[Vladimir\] Putin supporting Bashar al-Assad, helping with the Syrian refugee crisis and, I think for any republican, he \[Donald Trump\] has got to stop… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/vladimir-putin-supporting-bashar-al-assad-helping-with-the-syrian/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [ In Syria, if \[Bashar al-\] Assad had just been a statesman and handed over the reigns in time, Syria would not be heading down… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/in-syria-if-bashar-al-assad-had-just-been-a-statesman-and-handed-over/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Syria is lucky to have Bashar al-Assad as her President.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/syria-is-lucky-to-have-bashar-al-assad-as-her-president/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [Hillary Clinton has gotten every foreign policy challenge wrong. Hitting the reset button with Vladimir Putin - recall that she called Bashar Al-Assad a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carly-fiorina/hillary-clinton-has-gotten-every-foreign-policy-challenge-wrong-2/) [Carly Fiorina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carly-fiorina/) > [I think it's important to remember the tensions between Turkey and Russia predate this jet shoot down by some time. I mean, Russia's long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kenyon/i-think-it-s-important-to-remember-the-tensions-between-turkey-and/) [Peter Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kenyon/) > [ I still think a reasonable question is, would we be better off with \[Muamar\] Gadhafi and Bashar al-Assad still in there and Mubarak still… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/i-still-think-a-reasonable-question-is-would-we-be-better-off-with/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) > [All dignified people in the world, whether Arabs or Muslims or others with dignity, are very proud of the speech made by president Bashar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/all-dignified-people-in-the-world-whether-arabs-or-muslims-or-others/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [“The fervor and single-mindedness of this deification probably have no precedent in history. It's not like Duvalier or Assad passing the torch to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/the-fervor-and-single-mindedness-of-this-deification-probably-have-no/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [There's Hezbollah, there's Hamas, there is a whole range of terrorist targets out there related to Palestine and to Israel that we ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/there-s-hezbollah-there-s-hamas-there-is-a-whole-range-of-terrorist/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) ## More by David Ignatius > [Panic is a natural human response to danger, but it's one that severely compounds the risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/panic-is-a-natural-human-response-to-danger-but-it-s-one-that/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Global warming ... may be a plaintiff lawyer's dream. And it's interesting, in a perverse way, to imagine how a jury in 2050 might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/global-warming-may-be-a-plaintiff-lawyer-s-dream-and-it-s-interesting/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Fear brings out the best in some people and the worst in others. It's a test of character, for individuals and nations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/fear-brings-out-the-best-in-some-people-and-the-worst-in-others-it-s/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [It's very hard to understand just what our strategy is in Syria, frankly, and on Iraq that this is Iraq's war, that the role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/it-s-very-hard-to-understand-just-what-our-strategy-is-in-syria/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [I believe, that there is at least de facto cooperation between United States and Iran, at least in Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/i-believe-that-there-is-at-least-de-facto-cooperation-between-united/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [If you want to hear arguments against deploying a big U.S. ground force in Syria, just ask a general.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/if-you-want-to-hear-arguments-against-deploying-a-big-u-s-ground/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [“If you are one in a million in China, you’re one of 1,300 people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/if-you-are-one-in-a-million-in-china-you-re-one-of-1-300-people/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [2011 is one of those years that historians are likely to look back on as a 'hinge.' And the truth, at once frightening and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/2011-is-one-of-those-years-that-historians-are-likely-to-look-back-on/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Big mistakes were made in Benghazi, and people should be held accountable. But the brave officers who staff American posts in crisis zones know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/big-mistakes-were-made-in-benghazi-and-people-should-be-held/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Intelligence services exist to do things that are illegal abroad. They exist to tell lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/intelligence-services-exist-to-do-things-that-are-illegal-abroad-they/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Foreign policy is about the execution of ideas as much as their formulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/foreign-policy-is-about-the-execution-of-ideas-as-much-as-their/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [The best restraint is old-fashioned market discipline, in which financial traders know that they, personally, will lose a ton of money if they take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/the-best-restraint-is-old-fashioned-market-discipline-in-which/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [CIA officers aren't idiots. They knew they were heading into deep water - legally and morally - when they signed up for the interrogation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/cia-officers-aren-t-idiots-they-knew-they-were-heading-into-deep/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > [Making economic policy isn't a popularity contest, especially when financial markets are in a panic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/making-economic-policy-isn-t-a-popularity-contest-especially-when/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) > ['Cyber-security' is one of those hot topics that has launched a thousand seminars and strategy papers without producing much in the way of policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/cyber-security-is-one-of-those-hot-topics-that-has-launched-a/) [David Ignatius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) [Explore all 118 David Ignatius quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/) ## More Allies quotes > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) Brian Reade > [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/) Joseph Joffre > [As far as Japan is concerned, I want to help all of our allies, but we are losing billions and billions of dollars. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/as-far-as-japan-is-concerned-i-want-to-help-all-of-our-allies-but-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/) [Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Donald Trump mainly shows contempt for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-wolfowitz/our-security-depends-on-having-good-relationships-with-our-allies/) [Paul Wolfowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-wolfowitz/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What would your life be like if your body were your friend and ally?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/what-would-your-life-be-like-if-your-body-were-your-friend-and-ally/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) > [“Bacteria and viruses were the most effective allies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-hughes-galeano/bacteria-and-viruses-were-the-most-effective-allies/) [Eduardo Hughes Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-hughes-galeano/) > [When black women are down with you and in your corner, you have an ally that will move Heaven and Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/when-black-women-are-down-with-you-and-in-your-corner-you-have-an/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [There is an irreplaceable ally. It's called the United States of America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-netanyahu/there-is-an-irreplaceable-ally-it-s-called-the-united-states-of/) [Benjamin Netanyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-netanyahu/) > [It would have been easier to fight alone with inadequate forces than to have to accept...responsibility for our ally's lack of fighting qualities and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-kesselring/it-would-have-been-easier-to-fight-alone-with-inadequate-forces-than/) [Albert Kesselring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-kesselring/) > [It isn't until you begin to fight in your own cause that you become really committed to winning and become a genuine ally of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/it-isn-t-until-you-begin-to-fight-in-your-own-cause-that-you-become/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [ Again, I hear almost everyday from atheists who write off religion as primitive, premodern nonsense. I summon Aquinas, Augustine, Paul \[of Tarsus\], Teresa of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barron/again-i-hear-almost-everyday-from-atheists-who-write-off-religion-as/) [Robert Barron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barron/) > [My own take on the word "transgender" is that it's an umbrella term for anyone who breaks any rules, laws, guidelines or protocol of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bornstein/my-own-take-on-the-word-transgender-is-that-it-s-an-umbrella-term-for/) [Kate Bornstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bornstein/) [Browse all 1,053 Allies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far in attacking Iran's allies, in particular in attacking Hezbollah forces in Syria, which have been propping up the regime of Bashar al-Assad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Ignatius" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-not-to-go-too-far-in-attacking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Allies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-not-to-go-too-far-in-attacking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/904/david-ignatius-3910_allies_well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-no_3166726.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Well, I think the U.S. has been careful not to go too far in attacking Iran's allies, in particular in…” — David Ignatius", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Ignatius", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatius/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Well, I think the U.S. has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-not-to-go-too-far-in-attacking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatius/well-i-think-the-u-s-has-been-careful-not-to-go-too-far-in-attacking/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```