Disillusionment Grows Among The Syrian Opposition Movement

A damaged street in Deir al-Zour, Syria. The government of President Bashar al-Assad continues to rack up modest victories. Khalil Ashawi/Reuters

Disillusionment Grows Among Syrian Opposition as Fighting Drags On -- New York Times

DAMASCUS, Syria — In a terrace cafe within earshot of army artillery, a 28-year-old graduate student wept as she confessed that she had stopped planning antigovernment protests and delivering medical supplies to rebel-held towns.

Khaled, 33, a former protester who fled Damascus after being tortured and fired from his bank post, quit his job in Turkey with the exile opposition, disillusioned and saying that he wished the uprising “had never happened.”

In the Syrian city of Homs, a rebel fighter, Abu Firas, 30, recently put down the gun his wife had sold her jewelry to buy, disgusted with his commanders, who, he said, focus on enriching themselves. Now he finds himself trapped under government shelling, broke and hopeless.

“The ones who fight now are from the side of the regime or the side of the thieves,” he said in a recent interview via Skype. “I was stupid and naïve,” he added. “We were all stupid.”

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My Comment: Abandoned by everyone who promised to support them. Having thousands of Jihadists pour into the country to enforce their brand of radical Islam. The continuation of atrocities from the Syrian government. The influx of foreign fighters from Hezbollah and Iran. 110,000+ killed. Millions homeless and living life as refugees. This sense of disillusionment is not only present on the rebel side .... but I would also predict for many on the government side. What the rebel movement needs right now is a charismatic military and political leader who can bring all the factions together to present a united front to not only face the Assad regime .... but to also face the international community. Unfortunately .... I fear that all of these leaders are now dead .... and Syria is now facing years of conflict and bloodshed that will probably claim hundreds of thousands of more lives .... and the utter splintering and destruction of the country.