could in fact have helped ties

[嘟嘟嘟嘟]

But their relationship has seen ups and downs over the past century. Just a few years ago, there were fierce disagreements over the Iraq war-which British Prime Minister Tony Blair supported despite French President Jacques Chirac speaking out against it. This discomfort was expressed in Blair and Chirac’s body language at international meetings. While the French leader often greeted German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder with a hug, Blair just received a handshake. However, some political experts say the war in Iraq could in fact have helped ties.


About the last sentence, I wonder whether it means, according to some political experts, the two countries' relationship could have been in a different situation (be helped by the war in Iraq) instead of the current one or some political experts hold a different view that the Iraq war could in fact help improve the two countries' relationship. Thanks for help!

[BobK]

I don't know why some experts think that it 'could have helped ties' (and this forum is not the place to discuss the possible reasons), but there are (at least -it's not a model of clarity two possibilities:

• the war in Iraq actually, maybe, helped Anglo-French relations
  
• the war in Iraq, if handled differently, could have (but didn't) helped Anglo-French relations

Fuller context might make this clear.

b

[嘟嘟嘟嘟]

I don't know why some experts think that it 'could have helped ties' (and this forum is not the place to discuss the possible reasons), but there are (at least -it's not a model of clarity two possibilities:

• the war in Iraq actually, maybe, helped Anglo-French relations
• the war in Iraq, if handled differently, could have (but didn't) helped Anglo-French relations

Fuller context might make this clear.

b

Do you mean with the context given it is still hard to judge which meaning the sentence is directed to? But that is the fullest context I can give( other paragraphs have nothing to do with it). And one of the questions about it is whether the Iraq war harms or improves the relationship, or both.

[MikeNewYork]

Because of the words "in fact", I favor the interpretation that the "experts" thought that it did improve the ties.

[Tdol]

Do you mean with the context given it is still hard to judge which meaning the sentence is directed to? But that is the fullest context I can give( other paragraphs have nothing to do with it). And one of the questions about it is whether the Iraq war harms or improves the relationship, or both.

I agree with MikeNewYork about the effect of in fact, but I have never seen anyone argue this, which leaves me wondering who these experts were.