The Assad Cancer

Violence emanating from Bashar Assad's quest to hold onto power in Syria will surely spark conflict in Lebanon. The government of France, joining that of Britain, now insist that Assad used Sarin gas against his own people. A wider conflict caused by Assad's intransigence could engulf the whole Middle East with Sunnis resisting Assad fighting Shia supporting the brutal regime. The rise in sectarian violence in Syria's neighbor Iraq can at least partially be traced to Assad's effort to retain power. If Assad left power, a wider war could be avoided, but he will not and the region will therefore explode.