Story highlights S.E. Cupp: The implications of allowing Syria to spiral into further disarray are monumental

Now the election is over, it's time to acknowledge what we have largely ignored the country

S.E. Cupp is the author of "Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack on Christianity," co-author of "Why You're Wrong About the Right" and a columnist at the New York Daily News. The opinions expressed in this commentary are hers.

(CNN) In the years that I've been writing and talking about politics and public policy, I have learned one very sobering lesson: It's nearly impossible to get people to care about even the most troubling and horrific problems if they are happening on the other side of the world.

It's understandable. We have our own problems as a nation and as individuals. Whether it is people finding a way to pay the bills, caring for an aging parent, helping a friend get sober, surviving a divorce, or coping with cancer ... the list goes on and on of the immediate and daily concerns we often confront, leaving little room in our heads and our hearts for the plight of people a world away.

S.E. Cupp

We've been able to compartmentalize the plight of the Syrian people for years. And especially in an election year, where making American lives better was every candidate's focus, it became even easier. Whatever cursory attention Syria got during this presidential election was meant to signal to each side's base what degree of hostility we should have toward refugees who might be terrorists.

But the election is over. It's time to acknowledge what we have comfortably ignored as a nation for too long. The implications of allowing Syria to spiral into further disarray are monumental. Politically, we're allowing Russia and Iran to prop up a butcher. Our allies in the region are under immense economic stress from swelling refugee populations. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and other terror groups are exploiting a chaotic vacuum to their advantage. This problem isn't going away.

Now Donald Trump inherits what President Barack Obama failed to solve. Yes, it's complicated. But that's no excuse not to try.

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