Our international image.
In the modern world, you have to be careful of what you say, and do. Often unintentional little things have a big backlash if you make a little mistake.
Right now President Obama is at the G-20. http://www.g20.org/
President Putin has stepped up the Rhetoric and moved more ships into the Eastern Mediterranean to back that Rhetoric up. Russia has one foreign port that they maintain. One. That foreign port is in Syria. So imagine if someone was threatening Spain, we would step to Spain's defense because we have troops, and time invested there with our ports and airfields. So it is understandable that Russia would take a very personal interest in Syria. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/obama-putin-syria-g20-summit
But as if that isn't bad enough, it gets worse. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/10287685/G20-snub-for-Cameron-as-Barack-Obama-meets-Francois-Hollande.html
The UK, our long time friend, and ally, feels snubbed by our President as he avoided a one on one meeting with Prime Minister Cameron to push France into supporting Syria.
If or should I say when France blows us off, they rarely approve military action, will we once again start that asinine freedom fries nonsense? Will we call for a ban of French perfume and wines?
Is there anyone in the world we don't think should be bowing down to us? I only ask because from where I sit, I can't find anyone we treat as equals.