Syria: a civil war (closed)

[Dayuhan]

I have not idea what "neither party wants", and neither do you. That is your opinion.

Observe the actions of the parties involved. Do they suggest to you that anybody in the picture is terribly amenable to compromise?

my opinion is that most Syrians prefer a peaceful way of getting to a better future; and Assad is showing indications of being open to some degree of reasonable compromise.

How exactly has Assad shown "indications of being open to some degree of reasonable compromise"? I see no such indications. Do note that offering paper "reforms" or changing some words in a Constitution isn't compromise.

This is not about Assad winning or losing, this is, for Syrians, about getting to a better situation of governance. If they can do that without breaking what they have in place now they will be better off. The idea that creating a power vacuum is the best first step to getting to better governance is not one I would advocate.

I think it's gone beyond the point where talk and compromise are going anywhere. The regime has killed thousands of its own citizens: that's not a place you can step back from. It's all about Assad now: either he stays and wins or goes and loses. The lines are drawn and people have taken sides. There may have been a point when compromise was possible, but it's long past... yes, that's my opinion, but really, is any other conclusion possible?

US backing for any "solution" that involves Assad continuing in power will be interpreted and perceived as US support for Assad, no way to avoid that no matter what the fine print says. At this point if we don't want to take sides we have to say nothing at all, and even that will be seen as support for the status quo.

For the US it is simply about not having an unstable situation expand to where it disrupts vital interests in the region.

Too late for that; the disruption is already there and it's not going away.