After Israel's air strikes, how can we end the civil war in Syria?

Memebers of the rebellious Free Syrian Army, who have been fighting in the country's civil war for over two years (Reuters)

We probably can't, says Thomas Friedman. Not easily, anyway:

"“I believe if you want to end the Syrian civil war and tilt Syria onto a democratic path, you need an international force to occupy the entire country, secure the borders, disarm all the militias and midwife a transition to democracy. It would be staggeringly costly and take a long time, with the outcome still not guaranteed.”

His column is a dose of realism for a conflict that may have no immediate solution. Over on Forbes.com, Doug Bandow is even more emphatic:

"The Syrian civil war will end badly. Unfortunately, the U.S. can’t make it end any better. Washington should stay out of the conflict".