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In Fall of 2013 the US was on the verge of attacking Syria in response to the Ghouta attacks. The risk of WW3, combined with overwhelming popular opposition resulted in Obama holding back. Also Cameron couldn't get parliamentary support for the action.
Putin then stepped in and had Assad formally give up his chemical weapons(most of them) to save face for Obama and increase his own prestige. After the red line fiasco.
What if Obama hadn't held back and had ignored popular opposition? And launched a full scale bombing and air offensive against the Syrian government with the aim of regime change?
Would ISIS have emerged six months earlier(they already existed as an organization), would Al-Nusra be sitting in the palace in Damascus? Would the alawites have to flee to Iran?
Speaking of Iran-how would they and Russia react to the loss of their client state?
What would the consequences have been for Syria? Another civil war? Mass genocide of religious minorities?
Is WW3 a possibility?
Note: These events occurred fairly recently-just four years ago. So if a mod wishes to move the thread to chat feel free to do so.