Why the latest Syrian ceasefire was doomed from the start

Light must always come after the darkest hour but in the case of the Syrian war it seems there is much more darkness ahead.

The ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia was a fusion of optimism and hope - but in reality it was always likely to fail, and now it has.

Strictly speaking, it is not over until one or both of the two powers announce its failure.

There are more talks on Tuesday in New York and Geneva but the evidence on the ground speaks for itself.

The complexity of the battlefield and the lack of trust did not augur well from the start.

The Syrian Army declared on Tuesday morning there was now no ceasefire .

Rebel groups - who did not have any faith in the diplomatic process in the first place - have also abandoned the agreement.

In Syria the fighting is resuming.

Observers in Aleppo say Russian and regime aircraft are once again doing their deadly work.

The shells and bullets are also flying back and forth between regime and rebel controlled areas.

So who is to blame? That will depend on your perspective and the side you are on in this intractable war.

Expect the blame game to intensify and the trust between the combatants to remain broken.

The tragedy of Syria is that it will be the civilians who will continue to pay the price in blood for the diplomatic failures.

Any chance of peace may now have to wait until the Obama administration has run its course and a new US government is in place.

That of course means months of bloodshed in a war that has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.