In the end, Syria will only be able to move on once Assad is gone. Most opposition fighters, extremist or moderate, refuse to consider a future in which Assad rules any part of Syria. Simply put: as long as Assad survives, war will persist. And as long as war persists, extremism will spread.

Watching these events unfold, I was pleased to see the protests come out in force (easily the largest in the country’s history), and launch historic change in Egyptian politics. But as footage surfaced of tanks rolling down the streets, I couldn’t help but ask myself: was it the right kind of change?

But while America has received handsome payouts for previous bets on regional autocrats, it must be careful on how it moves forward in Egypt. Not all authoritarianism is created equal. Morsi is not Mubarak. And the Egyptian revolution is far from over.

At this critical moment, the U.S. can no longer stand on the sidelines. Now is the time when the U.S. must seriously reconsider its loud silence, and confront the tension that has plagued its policy abroad for decades.

As the dance between Iran and the international powers-that-be rushes onward, we need to consider the viability of pursuing political agreements when social understanding is not only absent, but obstructive.

For one, groups within this evolving network must be understood for what they represent, and henceforth analyzed for the magnitude of threat they pose. After that, solutions must be pursued on a region level, and direct and combative action on the part of international players and the United States must be avoided.

The democratically inadequate electoral law and its disproportionate representation still remain as fundamental issues, and the prospects for immediate and sweeping reform are dubious at best.