This prisoner swap has shown the terrorists from al-Qaida and other groups that the best way to free their imprisoned fighters is to kidnap Americans and other foreigners and exchange them.
The effort to bring order to Syria is no longer the concern of 20 million Syrians, suffering from the worst disaster the region has known in years; the issue is now about peace and security for everyone.
There is a general feeling that the option of military intervention in Syria is no longer on the agenda for the Western powers, particularly the United States.