The Syrians straddle the fence between the order of conservative nations on the one hand and this alliance with Iran on the other and it would make perfect sense for Bashar al-Assad to pose as the mediator with the Iranians, which means: hey,if you folks think I'm bad, think of the Iranians,they're much worse, but I have credit in their bank and I can deal with the Iranians."

VOA: standard.2009.03.18

But how do we get to 1861 and that secession crisis with Alexander H. Stephens delivering this Cornerstone Speech, declaring that, "Hey folks, it's all about slavery and its preservation?"

但事情怎么会演变到1861年那样,乃至之后的分离危机,亚历山大为何能在这篇演讲中,宣称,"嘿,伙计们,今天我要讲的是奴隶制和对其保护"

耶鲁公开课 - 美国内战与重建课程节选