Syria: Is there an alternative to the developing civil war?

"The fall of Assad could also strengthen pro-US Sunni Gulf regimes, while weakening Shia-based Hezbollah in Lebanon and Russian imperialism's position in the region."
There is a lot you could object to in the crudity and vagueness of Niall Mulholland's piece on Syria; but for someone from the Socialist Party to acknowledge that there is such a thing as Russian imperialism is a pleasant fact to focus on.