Cyclone Redux.

We supported radicalized ex-Baa'thists in Iraq after toppling Saddam Hussein in 2003. We supported hardliners in Syria, or sects operating within the purview of the FSA ostensibly in order to topple the Assad regime (Conflict in Syria was an effort to get Damascus to crumble. Not to mention, aid "meant" to fight terror and instability went to funding it instead). All this known, one can conclude that al-Qaeda and ISIS were formed for three purposes.

1) "The Afghan Trap," or "Operation Cyclone" to aid the Soviet Union's dissolution.

2) Regime change in Syria. (This would mean eventual peace in Syria regardless if chemical weapons went into the hands of radicals or not. Even if Syria became peaceful, it might have become a problem in Iraq)

3) Regime change in Iraq. (This allows for later Iranian expansion into Iraq and lays the groundwork for World War 3.) Boiling it down, the creation of al-Qaeda (and ISIS) was meant to serve as a vehicle, transitioning us from one era to the next. Deposing old, autocratic regimes in order to begin the end of days. And this is exactly what has happened. It's all related and it's all planned. The past 40 years of dealing with these Islamists has been nothing but a pretext for reshaping the landscape in the Middle East, and Brzezinski knew this from the begining. Brzezinski's Afghan Trap and its resultant policies, for better or worse, have shaped the world that we live in today. His fingerprints are all over it (It just took the slaughter of almost 3,000 Americans to make sure it worked. It also took a war in Afghanistan to necessitate the eventual spreading of the conflict to wider areas). Speaking of Syria, Assad has been assisting ISIS in their latest offensive. Why could this be? Due to sanctions, Assad has turned to ISIS in a pinch, looking for oil. They are grasping for straws during the chaos and confusion of a civil war, just trying to keep the gears turning. We need to do either one of two things: 1) Draft a plan to take forceful action to depose Assad. 2) Confer with the likes of Moscow or Tehran to shape a workable plan for Assad's replacement that would bring peace to Syria. One that we all can live with. And soon. Doing next to nothing or doing the wrong thing is not helping matters. A protracted, drawn-out quagmire is not the answer to our problems. Training vetted "moderates' is only a start.