Secretary of State John Kerry is the Nonstarter

Just listening to the 4:00 clock news on NPR and hear the Russians telling Kerry that it does not support theoretical designs of a Syria without Assad and The Secretary countering that such a stance is a nonstarter. Really?  Why re-assemble an already broken up Syria? And for that matter, Iraq?  Where is it written that a nation state can never be broken up?  Europe assembled Syria and Iraq with the stroke of a pen.  No one can accuse Kerry of lacking dogged determination but as with his Israeli peace mission two years ago he is up against intractable social hurt and damage that no pen and paper can put back together again.  Why not let Assad have his Alawite enclave and the Kurds and Sunnis have theirs?