A little over a decade after September 11, 2001, the United States may find itself on the same side as al-Qaeda if it goes forward with an attack against Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
To be fair, al-Qaeda represents a minority of those fighting to topple Assad. The rebellion in Syria began as a popular uprising against decades of tyranny by the Assad family, which hails from the country's Alawite minority. The government's swift and brutal suppression fractured the country, as well as the Middle East more broadly, and the rebellion quickly spread to other parts of Syria.
It changed into an armed rebellion. Fighters from other parts of the world flocked to join, more and more arms poured into Syria, and unspeakably merciless violence has ensued from all sides.We are now at a point where a proxy war is being fought in Syria. The anti-Assad side includes–in addition to the US and al-Qaeda–Qatar, Turkey, and unlikely bedfellows Israel and Saudi Arabia. Supporting the regime are Russia, Iran, China, and Hezbollah.
The Syrian people are divided, with the overwhelming majority simply wanting an end to the carnage, even if it means keeping an unpopular dictator in power. For now, at least.President Obama wants to directly involve the US military in Syria. His insistence on going forward with an attack in the wake of the Assad regime's likely use of chemical weapons has been stymied by the fact that the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to another war.
Susan Abulhawa
Al Jazeera
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