Syria in September, 2016: Nothing's Fair in Love or War

...but plenty of woe in warn-torn Syria, five years
and counting. CNN, September 21st, shows more
"disputed " collateral damage, denials and accusations
by America and Russia, while humanitarian aid is
impossible to get through to civilians in Aleppo or
Damascus.

The "Big Two" powers have failed, have caused
bloodshed of the innocent and the young over time
along with Bashar al-Assad, evil as he is, utilizing
chemical weapons, his forces firing on residential
areas, etc. International meddling has NOT helped
the ordinary citizens of Syria, only exacerbating and
extending a fiendishly complex and violent situation.

"All's fair in love and war". (--?) Whoever wrote that
cliche' way back when is entirely wrong; witness
the establishment of the Hague to punish war crimes,
and the granting of grounds for divorce in  failed
marriages. Lately, nothing's fair in love OR war--
logic long gone, caring and manners out the metaphor-
ical  window at about the same time. Yet there are
those of us who keep trying for justice and peace,
as we do know those are worthy goals.

Assad may have been voted into high office, but
it seems clear he has lost the support of his people.
How unmanly and pathetic of him to insist on
maintaining his putative "leadership", no matter
the cost, due to ego. No human is worth all the
suffering this monster of a man has rained down
on Syria--not forgetting the destruction of so many
historically irreplaceable, beautiful structures.

But Bashar Assad is only the most recent Syrian
despot to outrage civilized sensibilities. Lebanon,
let's not forget, was wholly owned by Syria for
decades, may still have an overweening controlling
interest there. Syria as a nation did not arise as
an internal, organic process. Again, France and
Great Britain (AKA the West) intervened militarily
and politically, drawing new national maps. Middle
Eastern tribalism is still alive and well;  imagine its
importance over a hundred years ago, a condition
convenient indeed for foreign powers to take control.

The same tired, uninspired diplomatic overtures
greet our TV and online screens day after day--
nothing new guarantees the same lack of closure
and stability...

No justice, love and peace without new approaches,
so for everyone's sake, invent some NOW,
dammit!