OK, so we have been asked to take sides in this civil war. I have seen some reports but these were not from agencies I would link to or even take as approaching factual.
It's hard to know in a country wracked by civil war.
There is some debate as to who has committed the worse war crimes the government or the rebels.
We have two super-powers aligned against each other.
The war rhetoric is mounting and so is the mission creep.
We have the he must be stopped and we must help the rebels divisions.
Now who are we helping by helping the rebels? Who gains an advantage? Iran? USA? Russia? Saudi Arabia?
We seem to be making a lot of decisions based on what "we" want, and apparently many want to strike without asking a fundamental question.
What do the Syrians want? There are some vocal groups on both sides of the political and belligerent activists.
Nobody seems to have asked the Syrian people who they actually want to govern. My best guess after so much carnage would be; none of the above.
So we support the rebels, then what, I haven't seen any definitive answers as to what happens if they win.
So we support Assad, we know what has gone on before but probably followed by greater oppression.
We assume we know what the Syrian people want, or at least what we want we want them to want anyway.
Has anyone bothered to ask them, and that includes all sides in this war.
As with most wars the best historical information available would indicate that they just want it to stop.
For the moment [all] sides are being picked on the basis of what is in it for us, but this "us" has a gaping hole you could drive an AUMF through:
What happens after and will the Syrian people actually have a say, and if we and they don't like the result what then?
You can talk about thin red lines, assign blame, bomb, train rebels and play geopolitical blood games all you want, however
What seems to be lacking is any clue as to what happens afterwards and if the Syrian people will get what they want, whatever that is.
9:35 AM PT: This is not a call for a poll.
This is a call to listen, and then the voices of the Syrians themselves might just be heard.