Syria’s Rebellion Ain’t So Popular
The Syrian rebellion has never been a popular revolution, but now even some who advocated the demise of the Assad regime have begun to doubt the value of the brutal civil war and what it has done for Syria.
McClatchy has a brilliant report on “Ebrahem,” a Syrian revolutionary who “openly wonders whether he and his fellow revolutionaries have done the right thing.”
“What will we tell our children? That we started this revolution and destroyed the country?”
…The first demonstrations, particularly in Damascus, were hopeful ones and deliberate in their displays of unity among the country’s sects and ethnicities. But as the violence grew, it was the Sunni Muslim Arab population that armed itself. Though the narrative that has persisted is that arming the rebellion was the only choice, many peaceful demonstrators like Ebrahem are tepid in their support of that decision, and some oppose it outright.
…Ebrahem, who openly questions the existence of God, did not help start the rebellion in Hasaka to see it empower conservative Islamist militias, though that is exactly what it has done across the country.
And this is coming from a self-described “revolutionary.” Imagine what the rest of Syria – the majority of the population by most accounts – thinks of the Free Syrian Army and the alleged humanitarian imperative to arm them to victory.
Update: See also this Bloomberg report from September:
Although foreigners can be outraged that people would get upset over small inconveniences, given the suffering and atrocities caused by government forces, it is striking that a “silent majority” in Damascus and Aleppo is blaming the rebels and the uprising.
At first, “Aleppo witnessed an amazing number of civil disobedience and popular movements that included unions, lawyers, doctors, engineers and university students,” said Fadi Salem, a Syrian academic based in the gulf region who visited Aleppo recently. But that support fell away when violence came with the flow of armed rebels to the city.
“The population was not ready for this,” he said. “The armed rebels are mostly not from the city itself. They don’t have organic popular support.”





eric siverson
December 3rd, 2012 at 9:47 pm
No country in the world not Switzerland or Sweden could tolorate their police officers being killed at the Rate Syria was losing theirs .
pmi agile
December 3rd, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Yeah, I agree with you Eric. I am hoping that they make some changes that include this one.
luaplex
December 4th, 2012 at 12:47 am
What? All police officers should be killed.
Winston Smith
December 4th, 2012 at 2:38 am
Can they really be this naive? Don't they know what a Color revolution is? or that it was always intenended to wheel on the fundamentalist Jihadists to take over?
This was printed in the London press over a year ago, spelling it out line by line.
Umm Abdullah
December 4th, 2012 at 2:44 am
"The Syrian rebellion has never been a popular revolution." Says who? Russian TV? Anitwar.com is a joke on this topic…
Winston Smith
December 4th, 2012 at 3:17 am
The whistle-blowers and moles of Washington.
It has been leaked it was a Color Revolution, planned for years and lavishly funded. Of course if you don't object to Colonialism 2.0 taking over the Arab lands ……….
notinmyname
December 4th, 2012 at 4:01 am
The so-called Syrian revolution has nothing to do with democracy. It is part of a long-standing zionist plan to demolish all the arab states which might be a block to its hegemony in the region, and which oppose US interests. Whatever I think of Assad, I think much, much less of the muisguided "revolutionaries" who are speeding Syria on 9its way to destruction. You only have to look across the Med to Libya to see where it all will go.
Winston Smith
December 4th, 2012 at 8:36 am
A Clean Break, A New Approach to Safeguard the Realm 1996 , prepared by the Neo-Cons for their mate "Benn" Netayahu.
mojo
December 6th, 2012 at 2:24 pm
The people of Syria told the world from day one.., when over million people in Damascus and said..,
God, Syria, Bashir Al Assad va ba..,it means nothibg but syria, god and Bashir Al Assad, thats what the message was and we echoed their vice, if U.S or EU neo fascism don't get this load and clear message then they are once again acting as if they were stupid won't listen to the voice of people, not that they done it before, but this time making sure if it.
Luis Underhill
December 7th, 2012 at 1:38 am
That we started this revolution and destroyed the country?”
LibertyRising
December 7th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Why? Are you one of the jihadists? (Funny, my spell checker flagged that word and suggested 'sadists') The news from Syria makes it pretty clear, even as our obedient press tries to spin in favor of the rebels, that they are just as bad or worse than what they want to replace.
Ram2009
December 8th, 2012 at 7:29 am
H Clinton's exhortations to the NI rebels are the exact opposite of those to the loveable terrorists in Syria, though Syria had been a peaceful country for far longer than NI.
Winston Smith
December 8th, 2012 at 10:25 am
Yeah, so I noticed. But Clinton sees Northern Ireland as one of her "successes".
Leandro
December 9th, 2012 at 6:17 pm
I’m not sure why but this weblog is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later and
see if the problem still exists.
Verena Dorris
December 10th, 2012 at 2:28 am
The brutal civil war and what it has done for Syria.
Guest
December 10th, 2012 at 3:50 am
The Arab Spring is nothing but a bunch of Muslim nations twisting in wind because of poverty, caused by backwardness due to centuries of religious fundamentalism and overpopulation.
Luther Bliss
December 10th, 2012 at 4:20 am
….while benevolent Western powers have tried their hardest to help these backwards, benighted countries. Your analysis is especially correct when applied to the cosmopolitan, religion-diverse, quasi-socialist Syria who population is 'over-populated' with refugees caused by the American destruction of Iraq in 2003.
Please comment more – your grasp of the complex geo-political is uncommonly insightful!
Winston Smith
December 10th, 2012 at 4:38 am
It ain't a civil war, the Arab Spring is not a bunch of Muslim nations twisting in the wind.
It was planned in Washington with a fortune spent on it that makes an emperor's ransome pale asco-ordinated Color revolutios, as they areknown, to take control of the Middle East.
However in Syria – it has been leaked in London – paramilitaries wouldbe required so the Mohajadeen Jihadists were reactivaed on Washington's behalf by the Saudis.
For an insight go to the McClatchy article link in the articel and read the comments below it.
o
tom dee
December 10th, 2012 at 7:03 am
Everyone should read the diary of Moshe Sharet who was the second prime minister of Israel. It is clear the Israel planned to attack syria in 1953 but ben gurion elected to attack Egypt first because Egypt was scheduled to get modern military equipment from Russia. In 1955 Israel attack Gaza and Took the Suez canal but Ik told them to get out. Syria is the war long planned and it has nothing to do with rebels but invasion. The same murders who killed so many in Libya are in Syria.
chat
February 20th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
very blog good adminsadsasd
sohbet odalari
February 20th, 2013 at 1:00 pm
very blog good adminssadsada
sohbet
February 20th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
very blog good adminsasdadas
sohbet
April 3rd, 2013 at 5:17 am
There really needs to be a reliable, consistent counter-news source who has the confidence and trust of US victim nations to get the straight scoop from their point of view.
chat
April 25th, 2013 at 10:18 pm
hat communities divert law enforcement resources from violent crimes to illegal drug offenses, the risk of punishment for engaging i
sohbet
April 25th, 2013 at 10:18 pm
sadorcement resources from violent crimes to illegal drug offenses, the risk of punishment for engaging i
sohbet
April 25th, 2013 at 11:48 pm
munities divert law enforcement resources from violent crimes to illegal drug offenses, the risk of punishment for engaging i
sohbet odalari
April 25th, 2013 at 11:48 pm
t resources from violent crimes to illegal drug offenses, the risk of punishment for engaging i