An article by a fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations named Ed Husain appeared this morning at the conservative National Review Online. It is entitled: “Syria: Why al-Qaeda is winning“.
First, I think the title is misleading. Al-Qaeda, if it exists in Syria, is not winning. Assad and Iran are (When I say Iran, I mean the Mullahs, IRGC, Quds and not the courageous people of Iran). Just because this article appeared is an indication Syria and Iran are winning the propaganda war. Let me explain.
From the beginning, the Assad regime made it a point to videotape its own atrocities and distribute them as widely as possible. No one really asked the question: Why?
Why would a regime we all know commits horrific acts of genocide want to publicize its savagery like this for the world to see? Did Hitler propagandize Auschwitz?
The main reason why is because Assad wanted to attract extremist Muslim Sunni elements like al-Qaeda to Syria. The strategy from the beginning was to rely on the fact that al-Qaeda remains the only evil Americans are willing to send boots against or will stand against in unison. Assad and Iran killed so many Americans in Iraq but because Speaker Pelosi chose to concentrate on gaining access to the White House rather than close ranks with her President against a common enemy is the reason why Americans do not compare the evil of Assad and Iran to al-Qaeda.
Let us suppose al-Qaeda has really gained access in Syria, something that I have many doubts about because I speak to many commanders on the ground fighting and I have yet to detect an al-Qaeda spirit. But let us assume the worst scenario here. Al-Qaeda is now fighting in Syria.
The question becomes: Whom do we prefer to fight against later? A bolder Assad whose terror footprint is as threatening aided by a stronger Iran or remnants of al-Qaeda in Syria over 50% of the population will fight to death against?
Don’t let the Assad/Iran propaganda sway us from our central goal of removing Assad. I personally will welcome fighting the standalone al-Qaeda any day as compared to the combined terror of Assad, Iran, and Russia who under Putin experienced change of name only.
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