You can't make war in the Middle East without Egypt and you can't make peace without Syria.

Syria is geographically and politically in the middle of the Middle East.

the United States decided it was not going to intervene in Syria—at least for the time being. The Syrian opposition felt betrayed and abandoned. Worse, Syrians were now completely without hope, which is the most dangerous human condition. A man or woman with no hope is capable of anything.

The Iraqi war has transformed the Middle East.

There is little doubt that an unstable Syria will destabilize the whole Middle East.

These days, I no longer believe there ever are truly good guys or bad guys in war, at least in the Middle East. They’re generally shades of gray. But that doesn’t translate well on television. It was too complicated. Too remote.