yet again, tony cartalucci nails it, page-8

re "assad is not the problem. he simply stands in the way of a pipeline ....."

The only problem with Assad is that he has been demonised globally as a cruel, despotic dictator and thus unacceptable...........

Whoever replaces him, will also have to be a cruel, despotic dictator to hold the joint together, but acceptable.... otherwise Syria will be stuffed.

GZ