Russia-U.S. Standoff over Syria: Why a Peaceful Deal with Assad Is the Only Way out

... cruise missiles. Just as the 1998 campaign in Iraq didn't solve the problem and had no effect on the country's WMD infrastructure, the operation against Syria is unlikely to succeed. The operation will fall short of stopping the civil war, there are doubts that the Assad regime will be weakened without the imposition of a no-fly zone, chemical weapons will still be there, and it will be a matter of time until they are used again either by the government or rebels. The issue of peaceful ...