U.S. strategic genius.

What about Western political meddling?

The State Department had run a democracy promotion program since September 11, 2001 and many activists were supplied with media training and equipment to help them capitalize on the moment when it presented itself. March 2011 was that moment.^[1]

March 2011 marks the start of the rebellion in Syria.

Of course, the rebellion was more than a merely local phenomenon. See here, here, and here.

Since then America has sought to characterize the Assad government as a "brutal dictatorship," there being no other kind of dictatorship at the kindergarten-level of U.S. government foreign policy thinking. The solution to which the stuperous mavens of Foggy Bottom thoughtfully propose "more democracy" a la various iterations of the "Arab spring."

The excerpt above from the article by Ehsani does not do his analysis justice. His thinking is what you'd hope would be typical in official U.S. circles but it's not. What we get is cartoonish thinking and bankrupt military involvement that make Larry, Moe, and Curly seem like deep strategic thinkers.

Onward John, Mike, and Donald. Let us piss away our vital resources and what good will we have remaining and advance to new heights of exceptionalism. If Syria has to endure more killing and destruction in the process well certain sacrifices just have to be made for a bright U.S. vision of the New Middle East.

Notes
^[1] "Peak Fragility: Why The Middle East Is Doomed." By Ehsani, Syria Comment, 4/10/18.