With Assad, the Enemy That We Know May Be More Manageable Than the Enemy That We Don't

As policymakers in the U.S. continue to deliberate their next steps to combat Bashar al-Assad, they would be best served by first reflecting on the lessons learned in the aftermath of the removals of Omar Qaddafi and Saddam Hussein. As was the case with the former leaders of Libya and Iraq, respectively, there is little debate about the need to aggressively combat and stem Assad's brutal regime. But it is the question of what comes next if such a removal takes place that should be given attention. As the U.S. has learned all to often in the region, sometimes the enemy that we know is more manageable than the enemy that we don't know and therefore aa sound follow up plan is needed to ensure the cycle doesn't continue.