Hat tip to Abu M who commended this CNAS commentary by Marc Lynch:http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/...tWar_Lynch.pdf

Sombre conclusion (in part):
....there are no realistic military options available that could improve the situation, and those calling for military intervention must demonstrate not only that it is just, but that it can work. They have not. Diplomatic options are no more likely to produce immediate results. However, they still hold out the best hope of pushing Syria towards a negotiated political transition without either making the situation worse through
a poorly conceived military intervention....
Some of this week's newsreel has been grim. It is ironic that the focus has been Homs, or it's suburbs and what did the world do last time Homs was bombarded? Nothing.