Commentary: Stronger global unity needed to help Syrians restart talks, end war

Thanks to the determination of the international community, the "cessation of hostilities" in Syria, sponsored by the United Nations, has so far been largely adhered to despite sporadic violations.

However, this is no time to slack off as the task of regaining peace in a shattered Syria requires even stronger global coordination and unity so as to at least ensure a constructive round of talks in Geneva that is scheduled for later this month -- if there is one.

After their military intervention that toppled and eventually killed Libya's top leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the Western powers were blindly confident that they could easily maneuver a regime change with similar tactics in Damascus.

Yet their arrogance has boomeranged.

As a result of their meddling, hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians have paddled across turbulent oceans and flocked into Europe -- with many more still on the way -- not to mention millions of those taking shelter in Turkey and Lebanon. The Europeans have now been literally deluged with this unprecedented refugee crisis.

Another symptom of the Syrian syndrome is the rampant surge of terrorism. The Islamic State (IS) militants have not only clinched large swaths of land in Iraq and Syria, but also spread religious extremism and carried out brutal attacks that have victimized innocent people regardless of their nationalities.

Now, no one would disagree that peace and stability in Syria are inextricably linked with that of the Middle East and the rest of the world.

If the five-year-old civil war in Syria keeps ramping up without the world's fully-focused commitment to helping terminate it, an even greater humanitarian catastrophe would ensue and terrorists would be further emboldened to plot against more innocent people worldwide.

A worsening Syrian crisis could also spark direct confrontation between regional and global powers as countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia, driven by self-interests, have already hinted about sending ground troops into the war-torn country. Precedents in history have suggested that such a scenario, if it were to happen, would only make Syria descend further into abyss.

Fortunately, most of the world powers, despite their remaining differences on Syria's political future, seem to have agreed that the hostilities on the ground need to come to a halt, and that peace talks need to resume quickly and should be the only viable option.

Going forward, key members of the international community, instead of dictating Syria's future or taking advantage of the process for self-gains, should make concerted efforts to build on the progress of the current partial respite, expand their mutual trust and common ground, and create necessary conditions for the Syrians to ultimately take care of their own business.

The Syrian government and the opposition should also understand that they are the ones who should call the shot in Syria, while foreign interference would only make the matter more complicated, not the other way round. And the best way to ensure the legitimate rights of both sides is to hold direct dialogue between them, plain and simple.

Honestly speaking, every peace deal is imperfect and carries with it the risk of being violated. Yet, comparing to the ruinous costs of war, there is no better alternative for the Syrians -- they must sit down and negotiate. Endi