What happened to America?

While the battle against ISIS is necessary and it must be defeated, it should not have been done at the expense of leaving Putin and Assad to hammer the rebels freely, and in the process kill an untold number of innocent civilians.

To be sure, Obama's unwillingness to take forceful actions in Syria in the past five years led to the disintegration of the country, which is a continuation of Bush's disastrous Iraq war only in another form.

Taking such decisive military measures is still in line with President Obama's unwillingness to introduce ground troops in yet another regional conflict because a) it does not risk the lives of many of our soldiers, and b) it will not cause considerable collateral damage. We cannot remain idle as the alternative is simply unthinkable.

Putin will have a completely free hand to do what he wishes in Syria, and leave it to him to expand his outreach to other countries in the region, substantially enhance his credibility as an unwavering supporter of his allies, and dangerously infringe on America's sphere of geostrategic influence with impunity.

Iran will not hesitate to further increase its military and material support of Assad, consolidate its presence in Syria, and kill as many rebels 'in the name of Allah;' it will be further emboldened to intimidate the Gulf States and intensify its military campaign in Yemen in its pursuit of regional hegemony.

Assad, who has been gaining both in territory and prestige in recent months as a result of Putin's unmitigated support, will have no reason to compromise and will continue to fight to the last rebel to ensure that he will be a significant part of any future solution to the conflict.

Though Russia, Iran, and Assad are guilty of war crimes, they sadly still have a role to play in shaping Syria's future. However, no negotiation with Putin should ever take place to reach a new ceasefire before we undertake such a military campaign, and any future negotiations must also be conditional upon the cessation of all hostilities by Putin and Assad first.

Abandoning Syria to the whims of Putin and Assad and allowing the merciless butchering of its people is a betrayal of our most cherished moral values. We must rise to stop the evil perpetuated by Putin, Assad, and Khamenei, or forfeit our moral responsibility and our credibility with our friends and allies.

President Obama's legacy is on the line. He must either rise to meet the challenge by taking courageous and decisive military measures, saving the lives of countless Syrians while paving the way for his successor to pursue a new strategy to end the civil war from a position of strength; or continue his futile diplomacy, watch the systematic disintegration of a whole country and the slaughter of its people with apathy and indifference, leave a tarnished legacy that will haunt him for the rest of his life and beyond, severely damage America's international standing, and undermine its critical global role in the pursuit of peace and stability.

I want to believe that Obama will not allow America to descend this low, where the Trumps of our time can rise.