U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo H. Daalder drew the lessons prom the Libyan precedent before the Atlantic Council, on 7 November 2011.

In the discussion that followed, the first question centered on a possible intervention in Syria. The ambassador then laid down three conditions for achieving this:

– a compelling situation (in Libya, international public opinion was made to believe that Gaddafi was about to raze Benghazi);
– regional support (the Gulf Cooperation Council was the first intergovernmental organization to advocate for military intervention. It soon gained the support of the Arab League);
– an international mandate (for now, the BRICS countries - including Russia and China which hold veto power at the Security Council - are opposed to it).

Inversely, from this reply it is possible to infer the strategy of the US:
– pin on Bashar Assad the intention of razing Homs;
– enlist support from the GCC and the Arab League;
– put pressure on Russia and China.