As US Edges Closer To Arming Syrian Rebels, Details Are Elusive

How to approach throwing gasoline on a fire

While the United States draws closer to providing some form of lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition, the debate over how extensive the package should be and the possible outcome are likely to follow any decision.

In a letter to the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee this week, Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey laid out the scenarios that could unfold, ranging from the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria, to training and assisting the opposition through intelligence and logistics assistance.

None of the options, he said, would be easy, and all would come with a pretty extensive price tag.