The Division of Syrian Rebel Forces

Word Count: 695 Sophie W-C

Syria has been a relevant feature in world news daily for the last two years. The Syrian civil war continues to be a destructive force in the Middle East, without a foreseeable end in sight. Part of why the Syrian civil war is so complicated and at such a stalemate is due to the fact that the war is being fought by many parties. Those are the Syrian Army, and…everyone else. The opposition to the current regime is being fought bitterly by thousands of individuals united by only one goal: the ousting of Bashar al-Assad.

The Free Syrian Army is a term that we’ve been hearing a lot of. It is the largest militant opposition of Assad.  The Free Syrian Army established a presence in January 2011. Initially it was created by a group of defectors from the Syrian army. When the military of Syria began a violent crackdown on civilians, many military personnel refused to fire at civilians. Those that escaped military executions for disobeying orders formed a small coalition that produced a movie explaining their goals of protecting unarmed civilians and overthrowing Assads government.

The response to reports of the establishment of the Free Syrian Army was mass defections from the Syrian Army. Often whole units would leave, mostly filled with low-ranking officers. The movement gained momentum when high-ranking officers began joining, such as colonels and generals. The FSA continues to be the biggest violent opposition to the current regime. However, it is also highly disorganized. As it is the most widely-recognized, it often absorbs smaller factions opposing the current regime.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a party that makes up much of the rebel forces. The Muslim Brotherhood party has been oppressed in Syria since the Ba’ath regime. Membership became a capital offense in 1980, and members have been specifically targeted by both Hafez al-Assad and Bashar al-Assads governments.  The Muslim Brotherhood is very prevalent in the FSA, holding much of the command structure. Factions have also created their own opposition forces, separate from the FSA with fundamentalist goals that directly contradict other secular movements opposing Assad.

The nucleus of secular and democratic opposition to Assad comes in the form of the Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians. It was formed from Christians and Muslims, Arab and Kurds calling upon the minorities of Syria to support the fight against Assad. Much other political opposition to the government takes form in socialist, democratic, communist, and Arab nationalists. In addition, the regime of Assad has a fair share of opponents based on ethnicity. Factions of Kurds, Druze, Palestinians, and Turkmen make up many units in the FSA.

The last of the largest opposition to Assads regime in the FSA is the presence of foreign fighters. These ranks are primarily made up of radical Islamists who want a piece of Syrias new government when the Assad government falls. Al-Qaeda has a huge presence in Syria, both in the Free Syria Army, and in militant groups of their own, most prominent, the Syrian Islamic Front, and Jabhat al-Nusra. Jabhat al-Nusra in particular is an extremist coalition of Islamists often labeled as terrorists. In this group alone there are three ideologies coming together; those of Sunni Muslims, Islamic fundamentalism, and Salafist jihadism. The radical foreign fighters making are making their way to Syria from Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, as well as many places in the West. This presence is terribly worrisome to Western leaders, who are adversely opposed to supporting groups they deem terrorists.

All these different groups and hundreds more are fighting for a change in regime in Syria. The only common goal is the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. All these factions of the militia have different reasons for wanting the overthrow, different ideas of how it should happen, and what the aftermath will be. For now, they are working together with a semblance of communication and structure. But the chaos and disorganization make everything difficult. And one can only wonder, what happens if and when the secular socialists, radical Islamists, and former members of government manage to overthrow the current government and find themselves no longer united by a common enemy?

Bennet, Alex. "Who Are the Syrian Rebels? A Basic Intelligence Briefing On the Assad Resistance." PolicyMic. PolicyMic, June 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.

News Middle East. "Syria Profile." BBC News. BBC, 19 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703995>.

Stanford, Eleanor. "Countries and Their Cultures." Culture of Syria. Every Culture, Sept. 2008. Web. 10 Oct. 2013.