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The realists oppose support for uprisings before they fail (which itself then guarantees failure), and then lament the failure as solid proof against action.
The “no plan” complaint only holds if we pretend the alternative – doing nothing in January – was cost-free. It was not.
The regime had already demonstrated its willingness to slaughter its way to survival. By refusing even limited support then, the West ensured the very (overstated) “vacuum” it now decries. Ethically, the bloc now has to make the best of a bad situation rather than pretend its hands are clean.