جبهة النصرة تبايع زعيم القاعدة وتتنصل من اعلان دولة العراق الاسلامية

It would be quite hard to de-radicalize those that have joined al-Nusra once Assad falls.

FT, you couldn't have answered that any better. Great points.

My only question is, you mention "If FSA initiates dialogue...", at this point dialogue is not in the hands of the FSA and the regime. The regime lost that trust, it lost that privilege. It lost that privilege when it was too stubborn to step down and allow for an interim government, and avoid the chaos in Syria today.

For all their faults and fragility, the opposition should undoubtedly lead the transitory government, simply because there is no better alternative (certainly not the regime).

well my point here is made. and i quote
"it IS possible for FSA to grow......."

"al NUSRA however...."

thus clearly stating that Nusra is not FSA, and FSA is a legitimate group of rebels who have taken up arms against a violent regime. maybe you didnt say it in so many words but the spirit is clear :p

ba3dein how many groups participated in the war in lebanon, with each their own agendas etc. no one came up on top, just like in lebanon, no sect or party was able to eliminate the other.

there is no reason for you to claim that nusra has taken over most of the rebellion. people imagine lebanon as a desert with camels and terrorists everywhere because of the media focus on these places that represent only a small percentage of the country. dont you think there is a similarity in the way you perceive FSA? im sure you are not in syria living and fighting on fronts etc to say you know for a fact or that you have seen with your eyes

@rudy

I think what FT means to say is (correct me if I'm wrong) that the FSA's allied stance with Al-Nusra delegitimizes it. The fact the FSA can stand up to Al-Nusra and doesn't reduces its moral position.

Still, I'm not sure what the FSA can do about al-Nusra. If it stands up and battles it, then it'll fragment the opposition and make it a less effective force in combatting the regime. Battling al-Nusra is probably what Assad wants, for the opposition will be fragmented and ineffective.

But if the FSA doesn't stand up to al-Nusra, then people will blast it for allying with terrorists. I think, as the FSA's spokesman said, that for the sake of battling the regime it'll have to tolerate al-Nusra, but once a new order is in place it will confront it.

agreed gcb

i dont think its a surprise to anyone that the basic human instinct is survival and a human will do anything it takes including selling his soul to the devil to survive.

faced with allowing nusra in to help or letting nusra do it alone, or option 3 being giving up and going back to square one after all the losses, it was clear what choice they had.

lol....the entire point of this revolution was to get rid of this piece of shite bashar, and now they are supposed to stop the war, start killing the people who are helping them in their original goal, just to make the guy they hate happy enough to give them a little piece of the pie, and let him stay in power!? hahahaha....yeah after all the blood and suffering and sacrifice I'm sure the syrian people would just love to do that.