The ethnic breakdown is the key. Assad's Alawite and Shi'ite Muslims are 13%, 3% are Druze Muslims, Christians 10%, and Sunni Muslims 74%. Iran, a Shi'ite state is allied with Assad. Assad is an Alawite and the Shi'ites, Christians and Druze are backing him because they see the Sunnis as the major threat. Russia and China are backing Iran and Syria.
The Free Syrian Army are Sunni fundamentalists that want to make Syria into another Sharia-compliant Muslim dictatorship. If the Free Syrian Army wins this fight, count on genocide of major proportions as they slaughter the losers. Russia, China, and Iran aren't going to let this happen.
THAT reality puts the idiotic Saudi-driven foreign policy of Hillary and Barry at odds with the Russians and Chinese. Hillary and Barry are playing with World War III here, but they are too stupid to understand that.
Or is that their intent....?