Terry - your assertion that the Syrian conflict was not triggered by Assad's violent reaction to popular protest against his oppressive rule is the most outrageously biased and wrong-headed statement in this entire thread.
It is straight out of Putin's playbook and the sort of gass-lighting spewed daily by RT.
You are more guilty of subjective and manipulated opinions than your readers.
Read some books by real journalists who report from the ground in conflict zones of the ME. I could recommend examples if you wish.
Of course western governments meddle and of course some news sources are biased. That is no excuse for swallowing every anti-establishment conspiracy theory espoused by Michael Moore and Naom Chomsky.
We need oil. We must do business with some of the most stupid, greedy and corrupt tyrants ever to rule desert kingdoms. One day we will need their black gold no more and they can go back to internecine squabbling.