Syria: a civil war (closed)

[TheCurmudgeon]

An outside attempt to "enforce a separation of the combatants and force a political solution" would not prevent an escalation, it would be an escalation, and would probably kick off more escalation.

Peace in our time eh' Neville?

There are risks in any course of action. Right now the conflict IS escalating. Foreign fighters are entering the country with political and religious agendas that are only marginally part of the original fight.

For me it is a matter of whether recent events tied with long festering hatreds create a situation where the conflict extends beyond the borders. The only question now is, "Do the perception of recent victories in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt along with the pent up rage that exist outside Syria remain contained or do outside agents use them to draw other regional players into the conflict for their own political gain?" If they do manage to bring others in, can those outside agents contain the fight or will the passion of the people take on a life of its own, both inside and outside Syria.

A bit of a worse case scenario, but I like to think positively.