[shanover]

That’s another regional power destabilized, and that means more unpredictable militant groups to counter. That also upsets the balance of power in a catastrophic manner.

That's well put. Did removing the Shah, Hussein, and Gaddafi make things better? Egypt was one step away from the Muslim Brotherhood taking power. Removing Assad is pure insanity.

When we break things we own it. When we forcibly remove or help remove a leader, albeit a despot or dictator of a country, history has proven that the replacement leader or regime is worse.

[Crucial]

I don’t see an upside to removing Assad either. Russia will surely try to undermine any effort to remove Assad and interfere is Assad is removed. Iranian forces will definitely try to take advantage of any vacuum with Putin backing them. Time, this is next level stupidity.