At this point, Assad is the least bad outcome. If Assad doesn't win, ISIS gains control of Syria. How is that better?
Assad is a brutal dictator, but I've come to the opinion that the only sort of rules which Arab Muslims respect are Brutal Dictators. What toppled the Shah of Iran is his Jimmy Carter engineered restraint from brutality. The opposition perceived it as weakness and made their move.
There was a book years back titled “The Pirate Coast” about the Tripolitian/Barbary Wars. The author made the point repeatedly that the Arabs operated exclusively on a power equation; either you dominated them or they took the opportunity to try to dominate you.
This sort of cultural disconnect has led to centuries of this sort of conflict, both before America’s “Payment in iron” to the Bashaw and afterwards.
Jimmy Carter was and remains an affable dunce when it comes to understanding a lot of aspects of human nature.
Totally agree.