u.s. could maintain a special operations force, maintain the intelligence assets to ensure if you don't have another rise of al qaeda-type elements, again to sort of contain the jihadist threats. overall the pakistanis have the -- the pakistanis don't have the luxury of leaving this region, the united states does, and i think that's a very hard discussion, that the united states is having with pakistan right now, something that pakistan is coming to terms with, slowly but surely. >> go ahead, mark. >> i'm curious of your assessment in syria. if he survives, what does that mean for us? >> i don't think that al assad is at a break point. certainly the regime is stressed, but we have not seen