Can There Be Peace in the Syrian Conflict?

In reading about conflicts in the Middle East, particularly in Syria right now, I can't help but think how this world needs more ambassadors. Peacemakers, if you will. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9). Those who seek to make peace are blessed by God and called His children!

I wish more people would seek to be peacemakers instead of seeking to be right. I wish peace would be made in a way that takes into account the needs of everyone, showing special mercy towards those who cannot speak for or defend themselves against those more powerful.
Perhaps this seems a simple, childish wish. But what if...

What if the United States was a nation that really cared about making peace instead of getting involved only when it have a personal interest in the matter? In the modern age, the United States steps in when it is threatened or its economy is at stake. This is not always true, but it does seem to be a theme.

 It comes down to this: does the United States really believe that every individual has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Does that include the rest of the world? Are we the world's "police," or are we the world's peacemakers?

It has been argued that the United States should mind it's own affairs. I find this argument to be lacking, however, as it is comparable to the child or teenager who sees someone else on the playground being bullied or in danger and does...nothing. I would love to see my country fight for true justice. Not necessarily with guns (though that does help sometimes), but with peacemaking diplomacy such as was achieved at Camp David in the Camp David Accords. These efforts, headed by President Jimmy Carter, took 14 months but resulted in a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

I recognize that I am an idealist. But surely it is wiser to put out fires before they spread and intervene in foreign affairs which could easily reach our homefront. Even if they do not reach us, are we not obligated by a prick of our conscience to at least work for world peace (in a very non-Miss-America sort of way)?

So back to Syria: perhaps it is a religious conflict we cannot really understand, growing up in a nation where people are not martyred for their faith. But we should pray about what we do understand: pray for peace. Pray for those whose lives and families are being torn apart by a conflict they may not even understand. And pray that the United States would get a conscience and attempt to enact peaceful resolutions in the larger world.