The latest outbreak of violence, which began with a sophisticated Iranian drone entering Israeli territory, and an Israeli F-16I being shot down, is a warning that the Syrian crisis isn't going anywhere.
The Arab Spring has burned out in some places like Egypt and Tunisia. Other countries have been so thoroughly burned by it that they are wreckage, like Yemen and Libya.
And then there's Syria which appears to be a perpetual conflict generating machine. There's its split between the Shiites and Sunnis, which brought Al Qaeda, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood out to play, between the Arabs and the Kurds, which brings in Turkey, and between Russia and the West.
Syria has become an irresolvable problem. Advocates for the Sunni side insist that it will end if Assad is removed. Advocates for the Shiite Iranian-Russian axis insist that Assad needs to win.
But it's clear that the conflict isn't going anywhere.
Syria is a forum for multiple proxy wars. In this latest attack, it proved to be a useful ground for Iran to launch an attack and/or set an ambush for Israel. Just as it's a useful place for Turkey's Islamist tyrant to taunt America. For Russia to flex its muscles. For the Sunni states to push back against Iran. And for everyone to fight everyone else.
Historical clocks don't get turned back. Not in Syria, not in Iraq or anywhere else. That's the real lesson of history. And anyone who pretends otherwise isn't dealing with reality.