Anne W. Patterson: “There is no military solution to this conflict.”

Certainly not. The President and certainly the Secretary have said many times that Assad's departure is absolutely critical to any future in Syria.

Our differences with Russia, Iran, and the Assad regime are very substantial, but the benefits of ending this conflict are even greater.

To protect U.S. interests amidst this volatility, we have to recognize and cope with the challenges that states across the region face.

We don't believe it is possible to have any sort of settlement there, either a political settlement or any military defeat of ISIL, without the departure of Assad.