The conflict in Syria and what path the West should take to stem the continuing bloodshed were never far from the spotlight on the last day of the University of Otago's 47th Foreign Policy School yesterday.
The final day of the three-day conference in Dunedin came as the number of deaths in Syria continued to climb - with the United Nations estimating that at least 10,000 Syrians have been killed since the conflict started - and as tension increased after Syria shot down a Turkish fighter jet at the weekend.
Prof Kemal Kirisci, from Bogazici University in Turkey, said the shooting down of a Turkish jet was a "concerning development" but he was grateful Turkey's President, Abdullah Gul, appeared to be trying to "calm the situation" by saying the jet might have violated Syrian airspace.
Director of this year's school Prof William Harris said the situation in Syria was "desperate" and could descend into "maximum devastation" if the world continued its "hands-off policy".
The current policy exemplified by UN-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan's plan had failed miserably and there was a case for more direct action, such as a short burst of air strikes.
"This regime is absolutely convinced that it will not be touched ... [and air strikes] would be such a shock to the regime that it might well bring a major psychological cracking."
Despite the "horrific" situation in Syria, Prof Harris and other speakers, including Dr Leon Goldsmith, of the University of Otago, expressed hope that after President Bashar al-Assad's regime fell - which they said was a matter of "when and not if" - prospects for a meaningful democracy in Syria were high.
The opposition had not fallen into the trap of sectarianism and had continued to direct its opposition at the regime, rather than minority religious groups.
Earlier in the day, Nato strategic analyst Gabriele Cascone, speaking via video link, said the general feeling in Nato was that militarily intervention in Syria by the alliance would be "counterproductive".
