Quote Originally Posted by davidbfpo View Post
JMA asked:

The first people to avoid a civil war are those who live within the boundaries of the nation-state. I expect we all know civil wars are rarely a "clean fight" and short.

It is not pre-ordained that neighbours and those beyond should intervene.
Yes but... it is all about the future. It takes generations for a nation to get over a civil war. Outsiders who have a stake in stability of the country/area/region would have a (purely selfish) national interest (ignoring any humanitarian concerns for the moment) to keep the peace.

Physical military intervention only becomes a final last option when all other options have failed or (as in the case of Syria) not even been attempted. So that leaves the US (due to political dithering) and Europe (due to a lack of influence) sitting on their hands and sucking their teeth.

Syria I think is now a civil war, although the ratio of regime supporters, opponents, "fence-sitters" and others are not clear. I have yet to read anything that states external support for the fighting opponents will be decisive. History I would contend is replete with examples of external actors being sucked in, who discover with :boots on the ground" that it is a quagmire.
Yes it is probably too late to save the situation... which reflects on an earlier political failure. Pathetic.