partitioned. let's be honest, if assad falls and jihadis take damascus, that would be worse than if assad stays in power in damascus. that doesn't mean requiring support but requiring him to create an enclave in syria of the kind that's already forming. even if the civil war ends and a country called syria remains, these groups will not live intermingled together again. the west has combined max mallist efforts with minimalist efforts. it's the yawning gap between those two that's making putin look smart. for more go to cnn.com/fareed