For once, lets stay the hell out. This country (the US) is screwed up. We all know it, Even the idiots in Washington are beginning to get the message. Their is way too much to do here.

If you're truly worried about people getting killed in protests, It's time to start trying to avoid the default and the protests that must surely follow, that the US government has set this country on the path towards.

We intruded into the Lybian civil war because we wanted that inscrupulous mass murder, Colonel Kadhafi, who masterminded and financed the blowing up of PAN AM's 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, punished for his heinous crime against all Americans. Kadhafi got his. Great. The people who now rule Lybia were/are of secondary importance to our Kadhafi just payback. Syria and Assad an entirely different situation. If a negotiated settlement becomes impossible, covertly provide appropriate munitions to the Syrian rebels (paid for by Saudia Arabia and other Arab neighbors, of course), but that is as far as we should get involved. Our only concern must remain that whoever roots out bad guy Assad and his evil pals must not be more upsetting to the present fragile relationship that Israel currently sustains with their neighbors.

If this was the Cold War then US interests would be clear, and we would already be providing support for the Rebels in their effort to overthrow Assad. However time has moved on, and the biggest threat to the Western world is currently Islamic extremism. Thats one of the big reasons why its hard to make a call on this uprising, where as Assad has never been a friend to the US he has been for the most part a secular ruler (kurds aside) and like Saddam has protected the other minorities of the nation.

The question is if Assad falls and the Sunni majority takes over, will they be a secular society and respect those same rights or will there be majority tyranny. That clouds the moral issue, as well as the strategic.

Im not really sure what the right answer is in all this, but it is terrible to see a ruler turn on his people and if they truly are fighting for a nation that will be democratic and protect all of its people you have to at least root for them

From what I've heard,much more than in Christianity.That in Islam,there is a feeling that God controls events to his desires.The old expression "kismet" or fate we hear about.That is why when a ruler loses power,or another one gains power.The feeling is among religious people,that it was God's will.I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with that belief.But that may partly explain how a ruler is able to hang on so long to power in some cases.And from the other side.How once a ruler falls from power,there aren't as many of his supporters trying to put him back in power,as we might see in the West.

Pious indignation and outright psychotic "Death to the infidels!" chants met the American war machine in Afghanistan after some idiot in charge of removing some old Koran's from use, and were mistakenly burned. Apparently the term "honest mistakes" aren't in the Afghan's lexicon. Iraq is now well on its way to becoming a proxy of Iran. Egypt will be the new breeding ground of "The Muslim Brotherhood." Saudi Arabia wants to "purchase" a few tactical nukes from the West to protect it assets (the family of Saud and its fortune.) Pakistan is the Second largest Muslim population next to Indonesia and has the Seventh largest standing army. It has nuclear weapons and has been reported to help other countries in need of their own nuclear programs. Like North Korea and Libya to name a few. Recent news has Pakistan sucking up to the Chinese (our wonderful trading partners). The Palestinians sit and become political fodder for the rest of the Arab world as countries like Saudi Arabia with its Trillions in assets pretty much refuses to help their Palestinian cousins survive. Iran on the other hand feeds several terrorist organizations including Hamas and others inside Palestine while continuing to lie to the world that their Nuclear Program is about electric power generation......right! Syria butchers babies, women, children and other innocents at will and denies it all in the face of photographic, video-graphic and first hand reports by an independent group sent there by the Arab League, who would later run for the lives and leave the butchery to continue by the Syrian Army of Assad.

It is therefore a foregone conclusion that that entire area is nothing more than a festering Sh-t hole waiting for a match to be struck. Not one country in that region has the will to gather the strength of other more moderate countries and work toward a solution. The reason they can't do that is because of the theocratic rut they are in supported by power hungry families and individuals maintaining control of their undereducated/uneducated (largely) populations. I predict a radio active wasteland within the next five years or less. It's actually overdue.

This is a sectarian war, and not universally popular within Syria as otherwise Assad would already be history. It is evident that a significant sector of the population is perhaps not supporting Assad - but certainly not supporting the rebels ( that includes the kurds, the druze, the christians and perhaps others ). Why? Perhaps reports from a knowledgeable journalist who has spent many years living in the area provide insight ( Robert Fisk, The Independent, UK ) : he reports that the FSA members are more islamist, than islamic - and that has implications : he also reports that 'activists' have taken out their christian and alawite neighbours and executed them. Given that the journalists in country are embedded with the rebels, the question arises as to whether or not they are as during the Iraq war - sanitizing it from their side ( BBC post Iraq war study which found that embedded journalists sanatized war on our behalf ) which perhaps gives us a false impression, but not something the locals will fall for. Given this complicated, legitimately internal civil struggle with two obviously contending groups, we should not consider arming anyone as it will probably merely extend and enhance the bloodshed - and given the report mentioned in regards the FSA arming them may be the worst thing we want to do. Finally, Libya is still at war, with plenty of torture and out of control militias and exporting terrorism ( a group of newly minted fundamentalists were caught in Tunisia ) so one may just get what you do not want.

Stay out of it. No guns. No bombs. No money. No green cards. No humanitarian aid.

I wonder if Carter ever was thanked by Iran for deposing the Shah. Or Bush...for saving Iraq from Husain and bringing democracy to their country. I wonder how Egypt likes their new freedom since Obama threw Mubarak under the bus. I'll bet Libya would like Qaddafi back too. We have our thumb prints all over the Middle East and it has been a rolling disaster. No wounder no one likes Americans. It seems as though we unfailingly make a situation worse for the people we are trying to help.

Here is a Question to NBC's Richard Engel:

What you say is bunch of deserters from the American army occupied let say LA by force and bombs government facility's and kidnaps and killed American civilians and then Russia like Clinton did encourages those Deserters to not gives up their Guns,what you think Washington do?

Remember Texas Waco Gov. burned every body and that's includes women's and children's.

All nations of the planet should have convened at the UN to allow foreign intervention in Syria. Syria is for the Syrian people to live in peace and with dignity! But now, they are being slaughtered like pigs and the international community should not allow it! For God´s sake, we live in the 21^st century. Especially, in this particular case, the Arab League Nations should act overwhelmingly to cause the fall of those demented murderers Assad, both Bashar and Naher.

Russia and China have demonstrated that they too want to have a free hand in their countries to maim, assassinate and jail their nationals, at will. They have plenty of experience in producing dead and mutilated bodies all over their countryside. Their veto should also be punished eventually by curtailing oil exports to them who need it so badly, especially China.

Why doesn´t the International Penal Court seek to investigate and prosecute Assad´s animal behavior, ASP?

Nice, huh, after 40 years of his family being in power, this stupid animal named Bashar Assad -- all he knows is killing his own people with his country´s army. He´s been president for 11 years, but he has reached the point of no return and should be killed, alongside his family. The referendum should be for his ouster from this planet, period! He´ll surely lose. Lest, of course, in the case of Assad, countries like the UK, where his bitchy wife is from, try to give him asylum. At this point, any type of sectarian violence is better than outright killings by this demented moron and his brother Maher. The Sunni Muslims will in the end prevail, while the Alawite, related to Shiite Islam, will probably be massacred in Syria.

The Royal Saudis, and other blue blooded Arabs, including Assad, and other (assassins) “presidents” of the region´s economies, are not reforming anything in the political arena, like redefining their rules for economic growth in democracy, western-type. They´ll all be kicked out eventually! And, when the population realizes that the West did not help, they´ll surely turn to more fanatic means, engulfing both politics and religion, as in Iran!! Eventually, to protect oil sources the West might have to set up a NO-FLY ZONE all over the Middle East, case by case.

Bashar Al Assad is a despot, demented moron, and murderer – an international shame for the 21st century -- and should be executed quickly by Syria´s (shabiha in rebellion), or foreign, armed forces – the Mossad -- even for the sake of saving their skins if not solely to save Arab lives, while at the same time taking over and installing a temporary military government,, that over a period of 2 years could bring things back to normal. Needless to say, in the process, the armed forces there should be purged of any of Assad´s cronies so that these freedom fights continue for the benefit of the Syrian population.

The only political system that will last forever, so to speak, will be a western style-type democracy. Apparently this truth has been realized by a whole new generation of Syrians educated within and outside of that country. The internet has helped bridge the technological gap and to come to full realization that their young lives were meaningless and had no future with corrupt animals like Assad, in power.

However, Syrians will not have freedom and dignity for a long time. They have to work at it, together with their armed forces that must see their role as only temporary -- 2 years -- until the country´s new institutional basis is set up so that political parties can prosper in peace and without fear. Once this is achieved, elections must be convened so that regional-party political representatives can be elected nationwide with a view to integrating a National Assembly to draft a new Constitution for the country. This would be the beginning of a new future for the Syrian population.

Meanwhile, if captured alive, the military government should prosecute Assad so that the death penalty can be brought to bear on this god forsaken animal, and his family. Their own and family assets, in general, should be confiscated in Syria as well as outside of the country. Those monies belong to the people of Syria.

But more than anything, the world must congratulate the Syrian population for acting with great courage, with their hearts and minds, to try to topple a ruthless and corrupt regime from the face of the earth.

Needless to say many more countries will follow, not only in the Middle East – mainly, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iran, etc. -- but also in Latin America, especially in the case of those with presidential lunatics trying to emulate the Cuban political system which under the noses of the USA and the rest of the Americas has failed miserably, i.e., Venezuela and his gorilla Chavez.

In general, the combination of authoritarian rule, high unemployment, poor opportunities for social advancement, demographic youth bulges, low public investment in education and health and other public services, and anger at high levels of corruption, and outright thievery, in the Middle East and North Africa, and in Latin America, will prompt public uprisings that will topple their leaders. Chavez, Assad are definitely in this list after their close friend Gadhafi has moved on to better pastures, in hell! Needless to say, the Cuban government also needs to be overthrown!

Instead, Presidents from these poor, backward economies, that have not even approached the take-off stage in economic development should instead concentrate their public administration efforts in fighting corruption, reducing the size of their inefficient and corrupt public sectors, and increasing public/private investments with the help of the multilateral financial community -- including in the strategic social sectors; i.e., education, health, and basic services – to increase employment.

The UN Security Council should give the OK for NATO to intervene also in Syria, so that these people are not slaughtered like animals by their own army. The intervention at this stage should be humanitarian aid, drones, and light weapons with plenty of ammunition so that these peoples can defend themselves from the butchers of Damascus.

But what can the world do with stupid interventions like the one given NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stating that the alliance had no intention of intervening in Syria, even if there was a UN mandate for this. He also rejected the idea of providing logistical support for possible ‘humanitarian corridors’ to Syria’s worst-hit cities. Rasmussen said that Syria is too complicated, ethnically, politically, and religiously, adding that Middle Eastern countries should find a solution to the conflict. This very stupid general should resign his post. Rasmussen’s comments are risky, because they could actually give Syrian President Bashar al-Assad even greater confidence to crack down on the opposition, thus making NATO intervention more likely, if Assad uses now even deadlier force, at which point the West would come under rising pressure to intervene.

McCain is right!! The United States of America should intervene wholeheartedly!!

In the final analysis given the severity of the situation, the UN/NATO should propose that Syria, a sovereign country, transfer its right to national self-determination to an overseer. The UN should argue that given the failure and the criminality of the Syrian state, UN and NATO members have the power and moral right to suspend the principle of national self-determination. In other words, Syria should be taken over by the rest of the world to stop the mass assassinations being conducted there by Bashar Assad.

More than TEN THOUSAND SYRIANS HAVE ALREADY DIED in their fight for LIBERTY!

And the rest of the world, especially her neighbors, should not allow it!

Why don't the Arab countries get involved?..that's the biggest question here..why are Muslims such cowards that they won't help their own people out?..Where is big ole tough Iran and the Saudis..that's right too busy being pest and petty..

Richar E. stays there; don't cross the border to Syria. Be safe; we do not appreciate heroic reporter. Take good care himself in terms of safety; be smart.

It is a war there; and the bombs and bullets do not have eyes and they cannot identify who they are; and they are just flying around and landing on the target...

It is not safe; do not go in. Keep safe and sound. We like to hear his report.

Assad the A$$ odd needs to be fried with a big bomb, no ground forces.