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A look back at the violence that has overtaken the country
News analysis
BEIRUT -- The Obama administration’s suggestion this week that it was prepared to sideline the opposition-in-exile Syrian National Council and attempt to handpick more representative leaders at a crucial meeting next week came after months of frustration over the group's dysfunction and ineffectiveness.
Made up of Syrian intellectuals and political exiles, the Istanbul-based SNC has barely been able to coordinate the simplest of tasks, let alone run the opposition against a well-entrenched regime such as Bashar Assad’s.
It has clearly exhausted the patience of the United States.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the administration was suggesting names and organizations that should feature prominently in any new rebel leadership that is to emerge from a four-day conference starting Sunday in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
"This cannot be an opposition represented by people who have many good attributes but who, in many instances, have not been inside Syria for 20, 30, 40 years," Clinton said during a visit to Croatia.
"There has to be a representation of those who are in the front lines fighting and dying today to obtain their freedom," she said.
Anti-regime activists say at least 36,000 people have been killed since the struggle to oust Assad began 19 months ago.
U.S. officials have watched with concern the SNC’s inability to rally around a common cause.
Syrian opposition wary of US push to coalesce leadership
The members appear incapable of electing a leader that the whole council could agree on. More often than not, they opt for bland technocrats to fill the void.
Lacking a strong leader, the SNC has been ineffectual at inspiring the opposition.
A leaderless revolution
Most importantly, the members of the council have no relevance to the people who are fighting and dying on the Syrian battlefields.
Some of the rebel fighters are former Syrian Army conscripts who defected to the rebels rather than be forced to kill their own. But most are novices to combat.
Former farmers or businessmen, many of these rebels have only the most rudimentary training and are poorly equipped. When asked questions about the SNC, their responses tend to be lukewarm, at best.
These are not rebels caught in the zeal of fighting behind a charismatic leader.
As fighting rages in Syria with heavy air raids, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. would push for a major revamp in Syria's opposition leadership. NBC's Keith Miller reports.
Instead, their unity stems from a hatred of the regime in Damascus -- but little else. The SNC enjoys little influence among them.
There is no genuine leader to rally around. This is a leaderless revolution.
Faiz Amru, a Syrian army general who defected earlier this year, told The Associated Press that any transitional government or body created abroad cannot possibly represent those dying in Syria.
"Everyone is trying to push their own agendas," he said by phone from the Turkish-Syrian border. "The big powers have hijacked the Syrian revolution."
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The West fears that an opposition leadership vacuum would allow the anti-Assad rebellion to tilt toward Islamic radicalism, rather than toward the inclusive, secular and democratic values the SNC claims to uphold.
Anybody traveling through rebel-held areas in northern Syria can easily spot the foreign fighters, driving around under the Islamist black flag.
These men are not Syrian. Some are Libyans, others Chechen. They are all radical in their religious and political beliefs.
So it is unsurprising that the United States has decided to seek an amicable divorce from the SNC. The events of the past year have proved just how fickle a partner they were.
Lessons from Iraq war
The United States also may be applying lessons learned from the Iraq War.
The Bush administration was burned when it put its weight behind Iraqi exiles, such as Ahmed Chalabi, who had little relevance in the eyes of the local population.
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People resisting the army of President Bashar al-Assad in northern Syria cope with loss and prepare for fighting.
So far, nothing suggests that Syria will be any different.
Attempts have been made in the past to rectify the disunity and make the SNC more relevant.
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But when members of the opposition met in Cairo last June, the results were nothing short of catastrophic. Screaming matches ensued. Nothing of value was decided.
It would have been comic, had the reality in Syria itself not been so tragic.
Machine guns operated by motorcycle brakes? Get a glimpse at the rebels fighting against Assad's forces in Syria's mountainous Jabal al-Zawiya area.
US: 'We're not giving them a list’
The State Department has spent the past few months determining which members are worth backing in Doha, but insists it would not issue dictates.
"We're not giving them a list," said State Department spokesman Mark Toner. "Ultimately it's up to the Syrians themselves to make those choices. This is in no way telling them what to do."
Syria warplanes pound rebel strongholds
Muhydin Lazikani, a London-based writer and SNC member, told the AP that Clinton had no right to criticize the SNC at a time when the Obama administration has no clear path for Syria.
"All they try to do is blame the SNC," said Lazikani.
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Mohammad Sarmini, a Turkey-based SNC spokesman, told the AP that the United States, through this new push, is "trying to make up for its shortcomings and impotence to stop the killings and massacres in Syria."
The Obama administration has said it is not providing arms to internal opponents of Assad and is limiting its aid to non-lethal humanitarian assistance.
Progress or paralysis?
Western officials hope that the meetings in Doha, held over five days, would be everything that the Cairo ones were not.
Participants and observers hope the gathering will prove effective in choosing a unified council that is made up of all of Syria’s ethnic and religious groups.
It remains to be seen whether the opposition is able to elect a representative who can serve as the face of the rebellion against the Assad regime. The SNC will be allocated seats on the new council, although they are expected to remain in the minority.
But if the Doha meetings fail, the only certainty will be that Syria’s nightmarish civil war will drag on and the tragic events played out every day throughout the country will continue unabated.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
So what this story is saying is that Obama's little quasi war is a failure and his attempt to overthrow a sitting governing body has failed...Not surprised at all Obama is a complete failure here in America so why did anyone think he could successfully run a war? Don't give me the whole Bin Laden story as "His" success please because this loser didn't initiate the hunt nor did he give the order to kill Bin Laden on sight that came from GWB. This loser has done nothing for this Country and he'll go down as one of the worst Presidents in the history of our nation you can take that to the bank!! Oh you don't remember that statement? If you're an Obama supporter you should remember that line because you're loser President said he would end the wars in the Middle East within 1 year of taking office and he would have all of our troops home. What happened? Oh yeah I forgot he didn't realize why we went there in the first place, and then he couldn't figure out how to pull the troops out before the job was actually finished. You see you have to accomplish the mission before you can call it a day. Unlike how you have run this Nation over the last 4 years. You can change this failure next week so be sure you vote for some real hope and change and let's send this Socialist Pig back to Chicago where maybe he can find a job doing something he's better qualified to do.....like emptying trash cans perhaps
And Bush's criminal invasion of Iraq as the model for success? The US has not "won" a war since 1945. 2) Socialist? Chavez is a socialist of sorts. The Saudis Royals are monarchs and pedophiles. What are US prsidents? Figureheads for the deeds of the Pentagon, DoS, and CIA. That's all.
Overunder--Thank you for the glorious demonstration of your ignorance. The facts are that the troops came out of Iraq under a time table established by GW Bush. As to why they went there in the first place, the facts are that they went there under spurious conditions on a mission based upon lies. As for Afghanistan, Bush dropped the ball there when he invaded Iraq. Regarding bin Laden, GW Bush repeatedly said he didn't know where bin Laden was and didn't care; that he wasn't important. To pretend that the man who was no longer president could somehow give a "shoot on sight" order is ludicrous. Anyone who has read any of the accounts of the bin Laden raid is well aware that it was Obama who took the risk by giving the order. I could go on, but if you think Obama is a socialist you're beyond intellectual redemption.
SoS Clinton and President Obama really enjoy sitting on each others thumb while patiently watching all the same rapes, women and children killings and most importantly unarmed protestors killed. I would not have concerns over this if we had not supported Libya. Poor judgement either in Libya and if not there then in Seria.
Do we ever learn? Exiled and out of touch Elitists that haven't been in Syria for 20, 30, 40 years? Sounds Iraq all over again. Why do we support people that don't have the support of their own people? The Shah, Mubarak, the Park administration, Noriega before the invasion, Pinochet....... Al Qaeda is on the ground there and fighting. We don't want them in charge when the change happens. Who we support is crucial. Supporting them properly is crucial. Gaining the trust and hopefully some loyalty of who we support is crucial. So what bozos in the State Department thought these Exiles were a good idea? Iraq wasn't that long ago and Ahmed Chalabi wasn't that long ago. Making large donations to a campaign isn't a good reason to hire people to make important decisions about our foreign relations. Our ambassadors and diplomats should be better qualified.... we have sent them out not even speaking the language of where they go! And the decision makers at the top.... what were they thinking? Get a clue, and STAY clued in!
To me the SNC sounds like our congress and house of reps. Let Syria deal with its own problems, we have enough of our own. A corrupt system filled with corrupt individuals that we call our leaders. They don't deserve to breathe, let alone determine some other countrys issues.
SNC is dysfunctional? LOL. US meddling, murderous foreign policy is sociopathic.
The US has the same issue with this administration.
Moved.
This article shows why those like Mitt Romney, who until the last debate recommended a more active policy toward Syria, should be kept out of the decision-making process.
Nearly 4 years of that doesn't seem to have helped Obama.
Putin is in a position to comment on this and act before a possible new administration brings him into fatal conflict with western alliances.While family genocide occurs in Syria and close relatives face off against other albeit in battlegrounds in different cities,the fact remains they form part of the greater civilisation of Syria.
Putin needs to let Russian armour roll right now before factional conflict reaches Russia and move now with no apologies whatsoever to those outside Russian borders.The conflict Putin faces if he does not act may perhaps have a comparison to the period when the Axis rose to power.
The pro-war propaganda used by foreign Sunni militants from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and the UAE as they conduct massacres and suicide bomb attacks shows that the terrorists are controlled by foreign powers and are willing to destroy every inch of Syria against the wishes of the Syrian people.
The truth is that Assad was oppressive but had been defeated politically and was willing to grant all the concessions the Syrians had sought. But, Saudi Arabia, the US and Israel were more interested in destroying Syria to fight a proxy war against Iran and Hezbollah. While the US had been shouting how the violence must end and Israel denounced the Syrian violence of the type it regularly visits upon Palestinian women and children, at the same time it at its Saudi, NATO and Israeli allies were funding and supporting terrorism writ large. Now the evidence of war crimes, the killing of the US ambassador in Libya and the US withdraw of support for the rebel leadership shows that the US has created a monster it no longer controls. Prior to this slaughter and foreign-funded and driven war Assad had Christians, Jews, Sunni, Shiite, Druze and Alawite living in peace and under laws much more just than what the Israelis provide for Palestinians whose houses are bulldozed, land is stolen and people are tortured, starved, murdered and mass slaughtered using US weapons and munitions.
The whole reason for this war is because Hezbollah defeated the IDF and stopped the slaughter of women and children by IDF land forces. It was well known that this "civil war" was planned after the 2006 Operation Cast Lead.
Speaking as an American retired military officer who has watched his country degenerate into a fascist police state, my only hope is that the US is defeated in Syria and that this leads to the fall of the three most brutal regimes operating in the Middle East -that being the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel.
All you have is a bunch of uneducated jokers (opposition) that know they are getting national exposure. They are reveling in the national debate they are getting but really care less about the outcome. It's just a pity party for the opposition. We need to to stay the hell out and not give them any support.
With time a Nato member such as Turkey may give right of access to Russia but only if they are losing the battle with adversaries operating within Syria.If Turkey falls then Russia's allies may be subject to a continued conflict and Russia itself.
These Arab people are tribal and nomadic. It is no suprise to me that there are never any common cause majorities in these countries. They are united by Islam, and that is it. To my way of thinking, their way is the right way. Many tribes, many different views. The USA, a so called "melting pot", should be the same, but instead all we have are red states and blue states, and two nauseating hack politicians waging an epic battle, that rivals anything in pro wrasslin', back in the 1960's, and is as contrived, but far less entertaining. Red states, blue states, equals a democracy, and let's transport this illusion to all the other countries in the world, so we are better able to have the deep state elitists control them too, as they do all of us. Preaching our American "righteousness" is an obese woman who looks like a diminuative George Washington, but with syphalis. The same postion before was filled by EEO mandates, and by golly, she did her job so well that she is now a member of Augusta National. Wow! I hope these people don't believe their own bull@!$%#! The rest of the world doesn't.
The USA should let this Civil War play out. Muslims killing Muslims isn't exactly a bad thing.
Cant' argue with you there.....If every muslim took care of one muslim a day, the bulk of the worlds problems would be gone within a month. It's like when they "honor" one of their girls. No splodeydopes will come out of them in the future. How could anyone complain about them practicing their faith.
Critical times hard to deal with, will be here.
False Article when it stated " US loses patience with Syria" .. it should state American Politicians with Oil interest in Syria loses patience with the Syrian Opposition parties ... really as an American I don't care about Syria when America has more problems than the world itself ...well beside EU right now lol
Yankee capitalist imperialism. No difference between Bush and Obama.
I hope to God that this won't mean another long war if Romney wins. It just seems that the Repubs can stay out of the Middle East as some seem to think that it has something to do with Armageddon. Other Repub see $$$ signs for the profits that military contractors and the complex make when involved in long term wars.
The American people are in dire straits because of 8 years of Bush and Cheney, something that Obama has tried to resolve. Just stay out of Syria and other countries to save our own nation.
One thing for sure....No matter how "upset" the US gets, President Stinky (BO) is too cowardly to do anything about it. Look at Stink's handling of Lybia, of Sandy, of anything. He's a twirpy little coward, and that fat Moochelle is going to have to explain to the girls that their daddy (if if even is their father) got fired from his job for being a cowardly incompetent.
A point to be made here,a good one,is that the administration within Iran maintains a good and working relationship with the Syrian leadership.This could mean shared military interests at some future date.Whether this extends to interests in the nuclear arena remains to be seen.
A nuclear armed zone of the two States and even more eventful the fall of these two and their munitions going to the radical presents a severe and long term problem to every country in the region.
Another analysis: The US public is getting impatient with the Obama administration and is looking to replace key players with people who understand the USA does not need to be dabbling in the Middle East's personal affairs -- such as the President and his State Department representatives. Now, if we could just get that message to the Supreme Court, as well.
This says it all:
"The Obama administration’s suggestion this week that it was prepared to sideline the opposition-in-exile Syrian National Council and attempt to handpick more representative leaders at a crucial meeting next week"
And another American president chooses to pick the leaders of a foreign country. Obama is no different then his predasessors except that the current opposition council Obama doesn't like has too many "intellectuals", a type of individual our current sitting president cannot comprehend nor understand. He's looking for a group more pervasive....maybe the Muslim Brotherhood.
We are not saying much in the media, but the civil war in Syria is just about over. We have unleashed the same terrorist groups we are fighting in Afaganistan and Iraq under The cover of freedom fighters. This trick will not work this time in Syria because Russia and China drew a line in the sand and are prepared to punch the bullies in the mouth and I mean really hard. Russian helicopters are flying and killing these so called freedom fighters at a very large rate. Two more months of this and whomever is left alive will be running back home to Saudi Arabia and other places they come from. This is the first defeat for us in the Middle East with many more to come. Russian Patriarch has been in Syria and met Assad to make sure our Christian communities in Syria are protected. If it was up to us they all would be dead by now!!!
Why does our country feel the need to fight anymore countries that are having a civil war?America pays their monetary dues to the U.N.Let them make the decision on when and how any country should intervene.We are flat broke and can't take on anymore debt.
Let the Syrians settle their political squabble in the traditional Arab manner, without our interference. There a no "good guys" on either side. We can help after both sides run out of gunsels and the people who who remain are the ones who love their families more than AKs, RPGs and political power. Note to the bleeding hearts: send them cement, shovels, and tarpaulins; don't be building/rebuilding schools, hospitals or shelters for them with my tax dollars while our own storm-ravaged infrastructure is in disrepair.