Be Careful Who Your Enemy's Enemies Are

As horrified as I am by the apparent use of nerve gas by the Syrian government, many of those opposing the Syrian government are al-Qaeda or at least Islamist.  This August 22, 2013 New York Times article by an American photojournalist kidnapped by Syrian rebels is a pretty sobering reminder that we might be better off letting the two sides kill each other -- if we could figure out how to protect the noncombatants.