https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Civil_War
http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/...cts/index.html
Obama, at Hillary's behest, initiated a civil war in Syria. Syria has been in conflict for decades, and had an efficient, stalinistic, program for controlling the political thought, activity, and economics through the use of torture, surveillence, and abject violence. Syria was the likely disposition for the chemical weapons produced by Hussein. Syrian fighters were a substantial portion of the effective regime defenders when Baghdad fell during the Iraqi war.
Hillary decided that it would be a good idea to start a conflagration in Syria. President Obama concurred. Obviously, there was no plan for forming a governing entity in Syria, post civil war.
The effect of this effort includes the following:
1) The invasion of Europe by millions of Middle Eastern and African economic refugees.
2) The formation of the ISIS caliphate.
3) The genocide of several ethnic and religious minorities in Syria and Iraq.
4) The utter destruction of most of Syria, and many of its citizens.
5) The renewed reverance in the Middle East of Russia.
I don't see any upside to this "adventure", and most of the results were forseeable. It is likely that "upside" looked for was "burnishing Hillary's status". This war won't end. Assad understands that, if he loses power, he, and his whole family, will end up dead.