Quote Originally Posted by JMA View Post
As it is obvious that a slide into civil war was not in the interests of any of the involved nations that it has is a sure indicator of failure.
If an "involved" state, such as Saudi Arabia, thought a civil war was a necessary step to achieve the goal of an allied, Sunni-dominated Syria, then civil was , and is, in the interest of Saudi Arabia and like-minded states.

Civil war is not in the interest of other nations (see, especially, Iran) but I'm not so certain that is a "sure indicator of failure" for those countries. After all, nations have interests but that doesn't automatically mean they have the capability to bring those interests into being.