What’s going through the heads of those Syrian rebels? They’ve earned themselves quite a bit of international empathy … until now.
No one who witnessed the massacre that [Syrian President Bashar] al-Assad and his troops launched against their own people could possibly withhold from aligning himself to the rebels' side. For the past two years, the world was shocked by photos and film clips released by the Syrian rebels, showing how tanks, aircraft, and missiles were being used against civilians. We heard the heart-rending cries of the wounded and of mourners. We saw the rebels conquer more and more territory, despite their military inferiority, as they struggled to defeat the man who had no qualms about killing 60,000 of his own people just to cling to power. This week the rebels will mark exactly two years since they launched their revolt against Assad and his regime. During that time, the whole world except for Russia, China, and Iran, supported them blindly (though most of this came in the form of moral support, not logistical support. Still, even that is important).