--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would have thought that if you're going…" description: "\"I would have thought that if you're going to try to punish the Syrians and prevent them from using chemical weapons again, the thing to do is a one-tim..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elliott-abrams-1577_again_i-would-have-thought-that-if-you-re-goin_2684853.jpg" --- # I would have thought that if you're going to try to punish… ![“I would have thought that if you're going to try to punish the Syrians and prevent them from using chemical weapons again, the thing to do is a one-time strike. Maybe a cruise missile strike at one or two of their air bases just so they know what they're going to gain from using chemical weapons…” quote by Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elliott-abrams-1577_again_i-would-have-thought-that-if-you-re-goin_2684853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elliott-abrams-1577_again_i-would-have-thought-that-if-you-re-goin_2684853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/103/elliott-abrams-1577_again_i-would-have-thought-that-if-you-re-goin_2684853.jpg) > “I would have thought that if you're going to try to punish the Syrians and prevent them from using chemical weapons again, the thing to do is a one-time strike. Maybe a cruise missile strike at one or two of their air bases just so they know what they're going to gain from using chemical weapons on the battlefield.” [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. To deter chemical weapon use, a targeted strike on a few bases could signal consequences, aiming to prevent future attacks. **In simple terms:** A limited strike could deter chemical weapon use. Key Takeaway Use precise force to discourage prohibited weapons. Themes military strategy deterrence chemical weapons Mood strategic cautious Type political military When to use this quote - conflict zones - policy decisions - defense planning Key Concepts proportionality international law Questions to Reflect On - Is a limited strike effective? - What alternatives exist? A Different Perspective Risk of escalation exists. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Battlefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/battlefield/) [Chemical weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemical-weapons/) [Cruise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruise/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Missile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missile/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Weapons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weapons/) ## Related quotes > [I'm going to continue to push for a no-fly zone and safe havens within Syria not only to help protect the Syrians and prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/i-m-going-to-continue-to-push-for-a-no-fly-zone-and-safe-havens/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [In Aleppo we had the missile itself, and the material, and the sample from the sand, from the soil, and samples from the blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/in-aleppo-we-had-the-missile-itself-and-the-material-and-the-sample/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [You seemed to me to be soaring far up in the blue - to be sailing in the bright light, over the heads of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/you-seemed-to-me-to-be-soaring-far-up-in-the-blue-to-be-sailing-in/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [I'm proud to say that there is not a single Russian nuclear missile pointed at an American child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/i-m-proud-to-say-that-there-is-not-a-single-russian-nuclear-missile/) [William J. 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What the Syrians did in response, nothing. Israel has killed a number of terrorist leaders in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-bombed-the-syrian-nuclear-reactor-in-2007-what-the-syrians-did/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) [Explore all 226 Elliott Abrams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) ## More Again quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. 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