While the regime created a political space for its possible longevity by accepting the demands of the international community, the rebel groups slowly drifted away from their path. Now the West has the grim realization that several groups in the conflict were not fighting for "democracy" but to install a caliph. Concerns were voiced against these al-Qaeda linked militants, who became strong enough to control the fight. Group like Free Syrian Army and others backed by the West started losing ground to organizations like the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIS), which was set up in April last year.

The creation of ISIS was a major development but was ignored at the beginning. This group was initially set up in Iraq during the U.S. occupation. It has been through several years of fighting and controls hundreds of hardcore fighters. It followed the al-Qaeda ideology and uses violence as basic tool to implement its agenda of Islam. Groups like ISIS and the Al-Nusra brigade have attracted jihadists from all over the world. By now hundreds of Muslim fighters have traveled from the western cities to Syria to fight against the Syrian forces. The trend has worrying implications for the major European nations with thousands of Muslim citizens.

There is a real possibility that after getting training in weapons and explosives, gaining experience of fighting and forging closer ties with global jihad movements, these Western jihadists will return to the European capitals to launch their new careers in bloodshed. The fear that the victory of these individuals will pose a security threat to several EU nations could be the tipping point in the Syrian conflict.

The worry has forced the intelligence agencies of some of these countries to turn to the Syrian regime for help against these fighters. Here is the catch. If the gritty Syrian regime, which still enjoys the backing of Moscow, plays its cards carefully, it can stay put. The challenge is still there as the west has issues with Assad. Also, the rebels are not ready to break bread with him. It is high time for men like Sergey Lavrov to come up with some middle ground. Perhaps he can choose between saving the government or the top man.

The writer is a Pakistani journalist.

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