Syrian Opposition Attempts to Unite Amidst Growing Chaos
A U.S.-supported move to create a single united framework for the Syrian revolution’s leadership has belatedly met with success. The new group, bearing the unwieldy name of the “National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces,” will be headed by an Islamist cleric from Damascus, Sheikh Mouaz al-Khatib.
He will be backed by two deputies: businessman and veteran democratic oppositionist Riad Seif; and women’s rights activist Suhair al-Atassi.
The emergence of the National Coalition is an achievement for the Syrian external opposition. It came about as a result of massive pressure from the U.S. and Qatar on the Syrian oppositionists, after a gathering of the latter in Doha threatened to produce only another display of squabbling and disunity.
Many questions remain regarding the new coalition and its chances for really bringing about a unified movement capable of replacing the brutal Assad dictatorship.
In the first place, the forces that are actually carrying out the rebellion against the regime and who now hold power in considerable parts of the country were not involved in the Doha meetings. These are the disunited, fractious, but growingly effective armed rebel battalions.
The new coalition is expected to form a Revolutionary Military Council, which will bring together existing military councils inside the country. This framework could then be used for funneling arms to rebel battalions approved by the coalition and its backers.
With many powerful Islamist units operating outside of the framework of the local military councils however, it is not clear that the new coalition will succeed in uniting and overseeing the military effort against the dictatorship. This will be the most important task now facing it.
An additional question concerns the make up of the new coalition itself, and the extent to which it really differs from the Syrian National Council which it supersedes.
A list of 65 members of the new coalition has been released. Of these, 22 are members of the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated SNC. Another third consist of traditional and tribal representatives, some of whom are themselves Islamists and Muslim Brothers. Veteran Syrian oppositionist Ammar Abdul-Hamid described the list as consisting in essence of “ … the same tired and drab personalities that have plagued opposition work since the beginning of the revolution.”
Despite the fanfare that has announced its creation, it is, to say the least, doubtful if this body will prove up to the difficult task of creating a unified leadership for the rebellion which is now making significant advances inside Syria.
Meanwhile, inside Syria itself events are on the move. While many still speak of a stalemate, the reality on the ground is that the regime is slowly growing weaker. The failure of Assad’s forces to quickly retake the city of Aleppo in September was testimony to the declining strength of the government side.
While this blogger would like to be optimistic, as well as proven wrong, on such a pressing concern, there is more reason for pessimism than optimism.
It is not as if there aren’t some factions seeking normalcy, at least in terms of going about their lives as civilized human beings. HOWEVER, the death grip of the Muslim Brotherhood Mafia is too strong, and much credit can be given to the Islamist-in-Chief, despite blatherings to the contrary.
For starters….http://adinakutnicki.com/2012/08/31/islamists-whatever-their-stripes-are-bloodthirsty-assads-butchers-his-opponents-too-six-of-onehalf-dozen-of-another-addendum-toislam-blood-commentary-by-adina-kutnicki/, plus so much more!
My contacts (both in Israel & Washington) have rarely been wrong. They agree with all of the above. It is what it is, and the west – especially Israel – must prepare accordingly.
I say that America should stay out of it and let them kill each other. No matter who gets in they’ll still be muslims who want to kill us, Israel, and the free world. I have no respect or sympathy for them at all. I have no sympathy or respect for islam period.
The Islamist fighters inside Syria do not recognize or want to be a party under their leadership. Turkey’s PM Erdogan is very weary of Syrian Kurds- who reside mostly by Turkey/Syria border. Some Kurds wanted to be neutral- but now Iran (Mehr News) is trying to woo them along with the Iraqi Kurds.(Kurdistan)-while Turkey’s PM Erdogan has been running sorties to ‘eliminate the PKK-Kurds in the mointainous region of Kurdistan (Iraq/Maliki has warned Turkey/Erdogan re: air-raids into Iraq). The first SNC had a Swedish-Kurd as its leader but it never got the diverse population unity (Syriacs,Alewites,Kurds,’Christians- many denominations- Shiites,who have their pilgrimage sites in Syria. Now the rebel fighters- the foreign fighters are of real concern since some are hardened jihadists from Libyan civil war (Benhadj bunch who were from the beginning there aided and sustained by Turkey/Erdogan; Jama’al al-Islamiya fighters from Egypt who were pardoned and let free by Pres.Morsy (Egypt Independent)- some of whom also went to Libya to hone up their jihadist terrorism (i.e. Benghazi)Then there are the wannabe jihadist/rebel fighters from Norway (all of ME background). The original opposition to Bashar al-Assad was ‘hijacked’ by Turkey,Egypt and Qatar- by introducing their ‘rebel fighters’ into the mix,since they have little co-operation and different outside backers. Turkey’s PM Erdogan has sought every opportunity of inducing Syrian g’ment forces to attack Turkey believably- the 2 pilots case- the mortars over border- but now Turkey is inundated with all the refugees and UN/EU are not writing the checks. Jordan has it worse- all the refugees- Palestinians,MB Syrians causing a lot of trouble threatening Abdullah II ‘s reign. Jordanian courts have expelled some of them back to Syria. Inside Syria the ‘Palestinians Refugees- 4th generation’ have real battles- killing each other-some sustained by Syrian g’ment+ Iran- some allied with MB/Egypt and Qatar exhibiting the carrots. Of note too that the foreign terrorist jihadists are taking sanctuary in the DMZ Golan Heights to attack Syrian g’ment forces trying to draw Israel’s attention to Golan Heights while their brethen with same backers/financiers/arsenal providers started the Gaza Blitzkrieg with missiles,rockets and mortars. Yet the UN is still talking about sending Peacekeepers into Syria -with opposition and Syrian g’ment miraculously sharing a conference table and call for the end of civil war. (Norwegian UN Peacekeeping Leader-Syria- Roger Mood vg.no)