The Syrian National Coalition and the US – From Fading Faith to a New Commitment

What started with peaceful demonstrations in Damascus and Aleppo in spring 2011 has become the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. The war in Syria has now lasted for more than four years and there is still no end in sight. However, a surge of rebel gains over the course of the last weeks show that Assad’s position is in peril. In this paper, Florian Kommer, intern at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, outlines several reasons why the current timing is ripe to launch a new, sincere attempt to empower the moderate opposition. Despite its significant internal and external challenges, the crisis of the Syrian opposition must not lead to fatalism. It should rather make us reflect on the shortcomings of the international community to engage with the opposition, and question the current lack of a serious approach towards stabilizing the country.