Imagine that you could make U.S. foreign policy recommendations to the president; what would you say to explain your idea of national interest and how it relates to this case? What goal would you recommend the president pursue in addressing the issues raised in the case you read?

Case #1: The crisis in Syria- The current crisis in Syria began on March 15, 2011 with nationwide demonstrations demanding an end to nearly 50 years of Baath Party rule and the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, the current leader who inherited his fathers one-party regime. In April 2011, al-Assad ordered the Syrian Army to put down the uprising, the army opened fire on demonstrators. Al-Assads actions sparked armed rebellion and some rebel groups received military aid from foreign countries. Reports circulated of up to 28,000 civilians missing; allegedly, many of those missing were forcibly abducted by government troops or security forces. Also alleged by multiple sources was widespread torture in state prisons where tens of thousands of protestors were incarcerated. The United Nations has labeled the conflict with the legal definition of civil war and in January 2013 put the death toll at over 60,000. Meanwhile, some rebel groups have also been accused of human rights abuses and in February, 2013 an unidentified rebel group exploded three car bombs in the capital killing dozens of civilians. Assads use of violence has been condemned by the Arab League, United States, European Union and Arab Gulf States. The US and its NATO allies have insisted that al-Assads regime must go and al-Assad himself must step down. Russia and China have consistently blocked any UN resolutions that would impose sanctions on Syria to force al-Assad out. Al-Assad along with his domestic and foreign supporters claim that al-Assads removal from power would not only fail to end the civil war but would in fact make it even worse as Syrian factions long hostile to one another would fight to fill the vacuum left in the absence of Baath Party rule.