CSIS expert explains why US launched attack inside Syria

A Washington Post article explores the military rationale behind the attack inside Syria. It concludes with a provocative quotation from a US foreign policy expert.

The military's argument is that "you can only claim sovereignty if you enforce it," said Anthony Cordesman, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

I was thinking that this argument -- which Cordesman attributes to the US military -- would be a great marketing slogan for a major defense contractor. It provides a whole new rationale for pressuring governments -- especially those in the developing world -- to allocate more resources towards military procurements.

The article concludes with another quote from the same expert:

"When you are dealing with states that do not maintain their sovereignty and become a de facto sanctuary, the only way you have to deal with them is this kind of operation," he said.*

The only way?
__
* I see that CSIS likes these quotes so much that they put them up on their website.