Wow, is this the ringer’s version of “I have a black (or Syrian/Muslim) friend and he says…”?

This is mostly emotional writing and I understand that it plays well to editors that mostly get their information from New York Times or Washington Post. But we can get that type of writing from nyt or wapo. (Umm.. ESPN of non-sports news?) the part about blaming his inability to speak Arabic to the Assad regime was particularly rich.

There are no sides here, and there is no magic bullet that would have saved the Syrian lives, at least the US doesn’t have it, if there is. The Syrian conflict also happens in a greater context of instability in region that the US is not solely, but greatly responsible for.

I support the anti-fascist, anti-Islamist (you know- the isis and al qaeda with their safe anti-Assad names) civil society/worker left in Syria. the author doesn’t discuss how and what US actions could have supported that. Or more pragmatically, what US geopolitic interest is served by that. We know what geopolitic interest will be served by destabilizing the region.

The Ringer should be a cutting edge option, not a wannabe New York Times.