Our friends, the Syrian 'rebels'

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I remember as a kid in Lebanon when the South were constantly being attacked by the Israelis (it's still the case, right?) and they used to always put those gory scenes of dead children on LBC news, and my mum would be like:

t2arrjou ya imme. Shoufou aysh 3am ya3emlou bi hal wled (Watch, my children. Look what they're doing to those kids)

This was her way of telling us how spoiled me and siblings were and how other kids in the meantime had it way worse than us.

Although I accept her point, had this happened in the Western world, the authorities would have accused her of child abuse. In Lebanon, it was acceptable.

Where is Jacoby now. Any new rhetoric tricks up his sleeve?

Rhetorical tricks? I think you have me all wrong. I don't want the US directly or indirectly(thru our "allies" Turkey, the Sauds, Qataris, or Israel) involved in Syria. The US has been at war most of my life and all one has to do is look at history to see what meddling in other countries affairs has gotten us. Blowback is a concept that a lot of Americans are only now understanding, everything we do have a reaction. Iran is the textbook example of what happens when the US meddles, the most liberal populace in the middle east now lives under a theocracy. I believe the west has fanned the flames in Syria and that this war would not be happening as it is now without foreign interference, many more people have and will die because of it. The same in happened in Libya, did all the death and destruction have to happen and are their lives any better for it? The war in Syria will effect more than just Syria, it doesn't end with Assad. I don't trust these rebels but they don't change how I feel about intervening in Syria or anywhere else for that matter. The fact they have questionable associations to say the least with al-Qaeda aligned terrorists is just reason more to stay away. This is an unwinnable conflict, even if the rebels prevail and oust Assad which appears doubtful, they can't govern the country as it is now. The cat is out of the bag, it's not going back in either way. I hope the rebel commanders hold as much sway as you think they do over their fighters because there can't be a total victory, they'll have to negotiate an end. One must accept reality and being realistic isn't always what one would hope for.

Perfect world, how do you see this conflict ending where it doesn't destabilize the entire region and without mass slaughter?

If it's just 1 in 2 Arabs that support Islamism/Sharia/etc then that's pretty bad odds. I get your point fine tho, not all of the rebels believe what that Jihadis do but that doesn't change the fact that a healthy portion do. Islamists and general chaos are not problems that might happen if Assad falls, it will happen. That's just reality, the question is to what extent. There are thousands and thousands of foreign fighters in Syria right now and I don't think they'll just go home, they never do.

I don't think the world should turn a blind eye to Syria, they obvious aren't considering the meddling already going on there. The world should work towards a peaceful solution not more bloodshed. America has been enough wars and they do not make us safer or any better off.