Al-Qaeda and the Syrian Opposition

There have been recent developments in Syria lately that have challenged the narrative.  For the last several weeks it has seemed that the common story has been of a dictator in Al-Assad cracking down on a democratic opposition.  However, in the last several days reports have surfaced that Al-Qaeda may be operating within the opposition and be working to bring the Al-Assad government down,  This really complicates things for the United States.  Immediately, the US was supportive of the opposition for obvious political reasons. They have never liked Al-Assad, from his perspective on Israel to his support of Hezbollah, and now was a chance to remove him from power.  But now with these reports surfacing, American support has to be rethought.  If the terrorist group responsible for 9/11 is working from within the opposition then how can the American government continue to fund and support it?  Obama cannot play on the same team as Al-Qaeda.  So the US has to decide how to go about its support.  All along Al-Assad has been saying he has been cracking down on terrorist cells within the country, and now that is proving at least to be a tiny bit true.  His government is clearly guilty of serious crimes against Syrians in Homs and other areas.  However, Al-Qaeda publically siding with the opposition helps Assad.  It helps him politically, reduces American support, gives his narrative some credibility, and buys him time while the international community decides whether Al-Qaeda really is among the opposition or not.

It is very interesting how quickly things can change, and how human life and security all of a sudden becomes less black and white than it should be for political reasons.