Either we should go for regime change or stay out of Syria

[bhikkhu]

16. I agree. You can trivialize the result, but doing nothing sends a whole different message

Assad is winning the war, and one of his tactics is using chemical weapons to clear out opposition held areas.

The last thing we need is to a demonstration of how well that works, and how the rest of the world, in spite of international law, no longer really cares. Gadhafi and every other deposed dictator would be kicking themselves (from their grave or not) for not realizing.

One of the reasons chemical warfare was done away with in the first place was how effective it was at killing large numbers of people. Troublesome neighborhood? Local unrest? Protests? Check the wind, turn the gas loose, and the problem is gone by the end of the day. You don't need a large military to rule then, and you certainly don't need the consent of the populace.

That would be the message of doing nothing.