In today’s New York
Times, front page, upper-right, the headlines read:
ISLAMIST REBELS CREATE DILEMMA ON SYRIA POLICY
QAEDA ALLY VS. ASSAD
Lack of Secular Fighters Leaves the U.S. With Little
Influence
No longer hidden away in oblique references buried in articles on page 16, but in the first sentence of the lead story, we read this:
In Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, rebels aligned with Al
Qaeda control the power plant, run the bakeries and head a court that applies
Islamic law. Elsewhere, they have seized
government oil fields, put employees back to work and now profit from the crude
they produce....Across Syria, rebel-held areas are dotted with Islamic
courts staffed by lawyers and clerics, and by fighting brigades led by extremists….Nowhere
in rebel-controlled Syria is there a secular fighting force to speak of.
And later:
The Islamist character of the opposition reflects the main
constituency of the rebellion, which has been led since its start by Syria’s
Sunni Muslim majority, mostly in conservative, marginalized areas.
And:
The religious agenda of the combatants sets them apart from
many civilian activists, protesters and aid workers who had hoped (emphasis mine) the uprising
would create a civil, democratic Syria.
And:
“My sense is that there are no seculars,” said Elizabeth O’Bagy,
of the Institute for the Study of War, who has made numerous trips to Syria in
recent months to interview rebel commanders.
And:
Steven Heydemann, a senior adviser at the United States
Institute of Peace, which works with the State Department…acknowledged that the
current momentum toward radicalism could be hard to reverse.
It is because we have our heads up our asses. My son spent almost a year in Syria as a monk and has said all along our current policies are going to bite us in the ass. We. Just. Don't. Get. The. Middle. East.
ReplyDeleteAmerican *exceptionalism*(read patronization)at its finest.
ReplyDeleteThe spirits of George Washington and Luke Skywalker will guide the rebels to a peaceful democracy. Just keep believing...
ReplyDeleteThis particular NYT writer knows Arabic I'm told. That makes a huge difference in getting to a "realist" perspective.
ReplyDeleteMuch of the reporting of the Syria situation comes from reporters who know next to nothing about the region.
Great post.
ReplyDeleteEveryone needs to know this!