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US: Recognizing Syrian Opposition¹ Strengthens Fight Against Assad

With Syrian rebels gaining ground on Assad forces, the Obama administration says recognizing political opponents strengthens the fight against him.

"We have said all along that in the absence of any moves by the regime to end this, in the absence of any commitment to any kind of a transition, we are going to continue to support the opposition as we can," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Nuland says recognition helps prepare for a Syria without President Bashar al-Assad.

"It also will give us the opportunity to better direct the non-lethal assistance that we are providing so that it can get directly to political leaders on the ground in the local coordinating² councils, particularly in those areas of Syria that have now been liberated³ from regime control," she said.

That assistance may help local councils better coordinate⁴ with rebels. Their divisions have been exploited by Assad forces.

Washington-based analyst⁵ Malou Innocent says anti-Assad fighters increasingly appear better focused.

"Now you are sort of seeing influential⁶ leaders of these independent brigades now coming together and coalescing⁷ and working together to try and oust⁸ Assad," explained Innocent.

The coalition⁹ recognized in Morocco is more broadly representative than past efforts at unifying¹⁰ political opponents. But it has not agreed on a transitional government.

London-based analyst Malik Al-Abdeh says deep divisions remain between secular¹¹ and Islamist opponents in the group.

"The Muslim Brotherhood¹² seems to be in the dominant¹³ position, which I don't think is necessarily going to make them any more attractive to the West," he noted¹⁴. "However, the West feels compelled now to legitimize the Syrian opposition in whatever guise¹⁵ it may take, simply because of the fast pace of events on the ground in Syria."

Innocent says U.S. recognition is an effort to head off extremists.

"This is an attempt to legitimize more moderate rebel forces and see a post-Assad Syria that is less entrenched¹⁶ in its secular and ideological¹⁷ fissures," she said.

Even with recognition, opposition politicians taking charge in rebel-held areas is more difficult because of the devastation¹⁸ of 21 months of fighting. The United Nations estimates that about two million homes are damaged and thousands of schools and businesses have been destroyed.