generalspeaking

One For All, and All For One

As long as it is fully understood that all must fall into line behind the aspirations and force of the Muslim Brotherhood.  Since it appears that this simple plan does not reflect the needs and desires of Syria's other groups opposing the regime of President al-Assad, it seems there is no cohesion and shared purpose behind the Syrian National Council.  Giving it the legitimacy it seeks to impress the international community into recognizing it as the legitimate voice of the Syrian people.

A fact which the Friends of Syria had, in any event, recognized on its own, leading it to withhold its elevation of the Syrian National Council to the status it sought, as the legitimate voice of dissent and the future of the governing of a Syria freed from the oppressive regime of President al-Bashar.  NATO, as an example, must surely have learned a valuable lesson from its unquestioning support of the Libyan National Council.

Which managed, during the revolt in Libya, to present a fairly united front, until the regime was overthrown.  The Syrian National Council, in contrast is beset with defections, split factions and ideological divisions, to an extent that simply cannot be ignored.  As dysfunctional as the various Libyan groups were in combining their forces to the end they sought, the Syrian groups are infinitely more disjointed, it would appear; well before the fall of the Alawite regime.

Burhan Ghalioun, the SNC leader's email account was infiltrated by pro-regime hackers who delighted in exposing the factional infighting and ideological splits that have rendered the SNC ineffective in being able to speak with a single voice of authority.  The deputy president of the SNC, who is also leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria demanded of Ghalioun that Bassma Kodmani, Ghalioun's spokeswoman be removed.

"She should stop her statements that are harming the council", he warned.  For she had expressed her opinion that the presence of Israel was now a 'necessity' in the Middle East.  And since the Muslim Brotherhood is in possession of fully 25% of the SNC's 270 seats, they do have a certain amount of influence.  That influence has managed to alienate other factions in the group.

The Syrian Kurdish opposition absented itself from the umbrella group when the SNC refused to include a passage in its mission statement about the rights of Syrian Kurds.  Since they represent roughly 10% of the Syrian population, the loss of their support within the larger group speaks of a disastrous fragmentation of the Syrian opposition.

Turkey, the U.S., Britain, France and the Gulf States, all of whom comprise the Friends of Syria group, have been constrained in recognizing the Syrian National Council as the legally-constituted government in exile, as it wished to be recognized.  Instead, they characterized it as "a legitimate representative of the Syrian people."

Which situation has not been helpful to the SNC in gaining popular acclaim on the Syrian street.  This remains the background to the reality of a ceasefire that has failed because regime troops and tanks continue their storming of Damascus suburbs, and of Idlib and Homs.

Labels: Human Relations, Political Realities, Societal Failures, Syria, Traditions, Values

posted by Pieface @ Monday, April 23, 2012