If Western intelligence sources are to be believed, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is planning on using chemical weapons against his own people in the near future.

Such a dastardly act, if he does it, tells the world that he would do anything to stay in power.

Other sources, however, say that it is possible that Bashar Al Assad is now a captive of his generals. And it is they who don’t want to lose their power.

A few days ago, US President Barack Obama warned Al Assad not to resort to such a weapon. His message was clear. The US would react in the strongest possible way if and when it happened.

The most recent news reports say that Al Assad is only waiting for the right time to unleash what is in fact a weapon of mass destruction. Aerial bombs filled with the nerve gas saran are reported to be already loaded.

The mad logic says that Al Assad, on his own or on his generals behest, will order the dropping of the bombs on areas controlled by the opposition, whom he always refers to as “terrorists.” But it is not inconceivable that the disgraced Syrian leader will take a completely unexpected course of action, one that could throw that part of the world into chaos.

Clearly, Al Assad must come to accept that his regime has nowhere to go. Mere weeks ago, much of the West were overjoyed when a united coalition of anti-Al Assad forces was formed, and appointed a head of government.

This missing piece was the biggest concern of the rest of the world for the past year and a half after the Syrian people rose in revolt against their strongman leader: Who takes over after Al Assad leaves, whether voluntarily or by force?

It would certainly be tragic to replace a tyrant with someone of a similar mindset. The new government – while it has not yet taken control of the capital of Damascus – has committed itself to set up a democratic government, perhaps under a republican form.

But first they have to find a way to rid the country of Al Assad. At this stage in the game, it no longer makes sense to call for the president to simply resign. He must leave the country. His exile may be temporary or it may be permanent. But staying within the boundaries of Syria is no longer acceptable.

It is quite possible that Al Assad has already descended into the madness that befalls tyrants who have come to be despised by his own people. The megalomaniac now believes that he can do anything at all because the larger portion of the Syrian people are still behind him.

He would now use the same kind of nerve gas that Saddam Hussein used against the Kurds in 1998. The Kurds, it must be pointed out, may be of different racial stock, but they were all part of the nation of Iraq.

If and when Al Assad approves the release of the colorless, odorless gas on Syrians fighting to end his rule, he would prove himself no better than Saddam Hussein, and the whole world knows how the Iraqi dictator ended up.

Only one ending acceptable
There is only one acceptable way for the Syrian crisis to end. President Bashar Al Assad must resign, and leave the country. The new government must return the situation back to normal at the soonest possible time.

No one really knows how many Syrians have died during the civil war that began with peaceful protests against the Al Assad regime that was met with excessively violent force. The latest estimates place the death toll at 30,000, with hundreds of thousands more hurt.

If he does release the chemical weapon, Al Assad will find out for sure that he will not get the desired results.

US President Obama warned of “consequences” if Al Assad resorts to a “totally unacceptable” chemical war assault on his perceived enemies. It is not hard to imagine what those consequences will be.

US forces hunted down Saddam Hussein, who was eventually tried, found guilty, and executed by his own people. US forces also hunted down Osama bin Laden, never stopping until the terrorist behind the 9/11 attacks was dead. Even if they had to enter Pakistan without permission, the US forces did what they had to do.

Officially, the US is not directly involved in the ongoing civil war in Syria, only offering messages of support for the opposition. But should Al Assad allow the use of saran, the consequences should be clear. He will most definitely follow in the footsteps of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. His own death will be a foregone conclusion.