Try as I might, I was unable to see a viable solution proposed by Washington. Europe, Middle East nations or this forum. Perhaps I'm dense. I do like the idea of sectioning off the Middle East according to religion but if you tried that, no religion will feel that they're being treated fairly. At present, and way into the future there is not the slightest hope of a peaceful Middle East. They all know it, or if they don't, they are delusional. The entire Middle East peace process is an exercise in futility, and the only thing they understand is might makes right.
.

Ah, but usually those corrupt seek power. Those not corrupt and have a greater cause, use power to advance their ends; so if draining the swamp, bringing America back from the brink is the end game, I for one, can stomach the use of power and a tyrannical posture to accomplish it.

Just a wet dream I hope comes to bear but logically, observationally and in reality is probably just that; a wet dream...

Thanks for the excellent analysis given limited reliable sources of information.

As for the Middle East I tend to view Rush Limbaugh's solution as the most practical - "last man standing wins." The Middle East has been a cluster since 600 AD with no solution in sight. Russia wants a pipeline through Syria and we want cheap gas. Theology seems to be the source of violence. And there it is all about power.
Trump is not inept but like Obama, is getting on-the-job training. It is his business background that defines his political positions. Pragmatic.
For those who are adamantly against Trump I ask these questions:
- are you for Shariah Law?
- do you support FGM?
- do you support jihad?
- do you support open boarders?
- do you prefer communism over capitalism?

If the answer is yes to any or all of the these questions then be careful what you ask for - you just might get it.

It may be harder to maintain positive relations with Turkey than the other Sunni powers. Erdogan is as nervous about the Kurds as he is Assad or ISIS, while we're fans of the highly effective Kurdish fighters. Arming the Kurds, as the President has given the nod to, will only intensify the friction with Turkey.

Only Joe Biden has proposed what is the most logical solution to all of the territorial squabbles in Middle Eastern countries artificially created at the end of WW I, which is to sectionalize them by religious persuasion. Iraq would be the most fragmented, with Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish autonomous districts, in a confederation. Syria may wind up in this condition as a result of negotiations to end the conflict there.

Giving the Kurds autonomy anywhere makes the nations of the Levant unhappy, as the Kurds have desires to create their own nation of Kurdistan, chopped out of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. Arming the Syrian Kurds is lighting a fuse. One has to question if this isn't a strategy to arm twist the affected nations into rational behavior that alleviates the Kurdistan pressure.

There is an easier, less expensive way to solve the problem than trying to decide who will have the strongest chance at achieving some king of accord. Remove all American troops. Pick the weakest side, Shia or Sunni. Finance them and arm them until they are the strongest side. Switch sides and finance them. Continue operation letting them kill themselves until no one is left.

You're correct in your essay about Prez Trump, that's why the Dimm's are screaming for impeachment. Trump frightens them, but the Reps aren't helping matters. Particularly with the Arizona delegation between Congressman O'Halleran and Senators Flake and Cain they offer only resistance. As a number of others do. I only hope that the Rep's will be able to hold a majority so the Dimm's don't reenact Shakespeare play Julius Caesar on Trump.

It makes for fun reading, but I live in a much more boring world. In my world President Trump is inept, not an evil mastermind. The gov't bureaucracy is stodgy, not cloak and dagger. The US went from being a regional power with the same GDP as Argentina to the world's only super power in 100 years. We became an empire. 100 years is longer than a human life, so many of us don't see it. We've become decadent, thinking an affluent life, running an empire, and having unlimited borrowing are a birthright. We're slowly in decline. Rome and London were the centers of great empires. They're still nice places, nothing wrong with them. That slow, boring process is happening to the US.

On top of this, we think a democratic republic that protects against mob rule is the natural state for humankind. Any anti-democratic trends, we think, are the result of evil people, maybe complex machinations. But it's actually the default state. One average sneak-attack against the US that kills as many people in a year as automobiles, and we might give up on the whole notion of freedom. Votes would still go on, and we'd still call ourselves the home of brave, even if corruption becomes rampant and we're scared to death of perils that affect a small number of the population.

All of this happens with no bad guy and no complex skulduggery.

As for President Trump's motivations, I think it's attention. His job, an important job, was marketing -- getting attention. That's how consumers and producers come together. He's turned the presidency into an attention-seeking problem. He may be the best we ever have in terms of getting impressions and clicks. But he's inept as a president.