© Sputnik/ Iliya Pitalev
Indeed, there are a lot of striking and disturbing resemblances between the ongoing conflict in Syria and the 1914 crisis that resulted in the First World War, Pillar emphasizes in his article for The National Interest.
"The prospect of the Syrian conflict remaining unsettled for years and thus providing many opportunities for it to grow into something bigger is the starting point for spinning out escalatory scenarios. But some more specific attributes of that conflict have greater and more disturbing similarities to the 1914 crisis. One is the multiplicity of players, from outside as well as inside Syria and the region, who perceive themselves as having a stake in the conflict," the CIA veteran elaborates.
To complicate matters further, the perception about stakes is closely related to the tendency to regard the war in Syria as part of a greater conflict between large coalitions. "This view amplifies the perceived stakes ever further and also brings into play a sense of obligation to friends and allies," the expert remarks.
Comment: Further reading:
- The essentials of the US-Russia ceasefire deal for Syria
- Lavrov: Key condition of Syrian ceasefire is ending smuggling of arms across Turkish-Syrian border
And there's always Plan B if the West can't shape events to their liking:If Assad can't be forced to leave, Balkanize: Israel's 'Plan B' for Syria