Assad, Terrorism, Sarajevo

"You are going to pay the price if you are not wise dealing with terrorists," he said.

ter·ror·ist  

/ˈterərist

A person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims.

ter·ror·ism  

/ˈterəˌrizəm/

The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

Assad is the definition of a terrorist; he's slaughtering his own people, the ones he is supposed to serve, to keep his government alive.  Terror, violence and an escalating use of chemical weapons are the tools of his trade.  In his threats to the US, you can read a veiled reference to nuclear attack.  

This guy is playing an all-in game; he's Syria's Kim Jong Il.  What is the scenario he's hoping to see?  The West continues to back down and eventually, he massacres every Syrian that stands against him?  His then builds his throne out of the bones of his broken country?

There is no way the Syrian conflict does anything but escalate until the Assad regime is gone; it's either an internal fight that splashes blood on the hands of every nation - including ours - that stands on the sidelines while innocents fall, or it expands into a bigger conflict, with Damascus becoming the 21st Century equivalent of Sarajevo.  

Unless somewhere, someone starts to put the lives of innocent Syrians before their own political interests.  History provides a pretty good example of how likely that scenario is.

Save us all from arrogant men, and all the causes they're for...