[ageofwant]

Assad was one of the few that survived the Arab Spring. The Saudi's was another, and a US ally. It is interesting to note that one of the most regressive regimes in the world, Saudi Arabia is one of America's strongest allies in the middle east. But that's none of my business.

Many believe that getting rid of Assad will end the Syrian refugee crisis. Others observe that when the Saddam and Gaddafi heads were cut off the snake grew ISIS.

And so it goes.

[lambdadmitry]

According to Der Spiegel, Assad had helped ISIS: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/islamic-state-file...

[ZanyProgrammer]

There's simply no way that even if we wanted to, restoring Assad in Syria will ever work again. Too many (basically, everyone whose not an Alawite or Christian) people will never acquiesce to living under his rule.

[pluma]

Anything's better than the status quo.

The only difference between Assad and the other remaining dictators in the region is that the US was heavily invested in getting rid of Assad -- and then Russia came and basically ruined their plans indefinitely.

If there's one Muslim country whose government is in dire need of being overthrown it's Turkey -- but sadly Erdogan has learned from his country's past and made sure the military won't turn against him anytime soon.

[DavidHm]

Around 2010 I was speaking with a Turkish friend. I expressed my admiration towards the fact that the Turkish military has multiple times intervened to stop the country from becoming religiously-governed. She (while not being religious) did not fully agree, as she thought democracy was more important.

Fast forward a few years and she has completely turned around and regrets her former opinions.

This doesn't really prove what is the correct approach, but I think speaks about the fact that we often make decisions based on some vague ideals as opposed to practical and realistic outcomes - and we are sometimes wrong.

[ptaipale]

Indeed. We have disapproved the military coups in Turkey over the past decades, but now that there hasn't been one in recent times, we see a religious leadership do purges in the military, the judiciary, and the executive, and then the press, and there's going to be authoritarian rule.

[ZanyProgrammer]

Assad's regime (and his father's) helped radicalize the population for years, prior to any sort of silly Arab Spring or anything like that. Any post war settlement will by necessity not have to include his family.