Michael Scott Doran and Max Boot lay out five reasons for why the United States should intervene in Syria, arguing that President Obama is forgoing his "lead from behind" approach where it would benefit the United States the most.

Syria's civil war, at its core a sectarian conflict, is viewed through the eyes of a fearful Alawite minority.

The counterinsurgency in Syria yielded a destructive power that terrorized and forced Syria's propertied class into submission.

Elliott Abrams and Ed Husain, CFR senior fellows for Middle Eastern studies, lead a conversation on the current situation in Syria and discuss challenges that lie ahead, both for the country and the international community.

The growing likelihood of a protracted civil war in Syria does not necessarily warrant Western military intervention, which could "cause more damage, chaos, and instability than not," says Assad biographer David Lesch.

Unnoticed by the West, al-Qaeda is seizing a golden opportunity in Syria, says Ed Husain.

The history of civil wars — and of efforts to stop them — demonstrates what is likely to work and what is likely to fail.

Listen to CFR senior fellows Robert Danin and Ed Husain as they discuss the crisis in Syria, the international community's response, and the jihadist threat.

Ed Husain says different factions in Syria must work together to prevent all-out civil war, while other countries supporting these factions should be wary of the power they yield.

Robert Danin, Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies and Edward Husain, Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, discuss the crisis in Syria, the threat of jihad, and the international community's response to the situation with CFR.org's Toni Johnson.

Al-Qaeda may become the Free Syrian Army's most potent weapon against the Assad regime, but its collaboration with rebel forces poses serious risks for the country's future, says CFR's Ed Husain.

Leslie H. Gelb says Kofi Annan's mission in Damascus was doomed from the start. Obama should not try to fill the void—but rather leave that mostly to Syria's neighbors.

In his latest exclusive dispatch from Deir el-Zour province, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad meets fighters who have left the Free Syrian Army for the discipline and ideology of global jihad.

A post-Assad Syria will likely create distinct challenges for each of its neighbors, including creating a major loss for Iran, says Michael Young of Lebanon's Daily Star.

Following a UN Security Council veto, the United States should bypass the UN to pressure the Assad regime and support the Syrian opposition, writes CFR President Richard N. Haass.

Intensification of the violence in Syria presents renewed cause for military intervention, either to protect innocent civilian lives or to potentially police or enforce a peace agreement or political settlement, says CFR's Paul Stares.

Elliott Abrams discusses the astonishing American inactivity as Syria crumbles.

Russian President Putin, mistrustful of Western motives, is likely to resist pressure to commit to stronger sanctions against Syria's government, says expert Dimitri Simes.

Richard N. Haass says, "Intervention in Syria need not be defined as either armed intervention or intervention with arms. There is much more that the world can and should be doing to bring about the removal of the Assad regime."