Op-Ed: Syria doesn't need a "Dayton accord", and the role of ancient ethnic hatreds is misunderstood

<p>As Syria’s civil war drags on, there seems to be no viable solution in sight. To the non-specialist eye, the conflict is an indecipherable mess of rival militias, peoples and faiths. As in many conflicts, observers have taken it upon themselves to offer definitive accounts and simple solutions. One such oversimplification is the growing tendency to compare Syria’s conflict to the dissolution of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.</p><p>An especially prominent aspect of this narrative has been to argue that Syria needs its own “Dayton”: that is, a version of the American-brokered peace accord that ended the Bosnian War in 1995. This dangerous and inaccurate comparison would have disastrous consequences —&nbsp;as it has had in Bosnia-Herzegovina —&nbsp;if taken seriously by policymakers.</p>
Read the full article here: Washington Post