Another Depressing Reminder That Good Guys in Syria Are Hard To Find

This September 5, 2013 New York Times article discusses how brutal many of those trying to overthrow Assad are:

The prisoners, seven in all, were captured Syrian soldiers. Five were trussed, their backs marked with red welts. They kept their faces pressed to the dirt as the rebels’ commander recited a bitter revolutionary verse.

“For fifty years, they are companions to corruption,” he said. “We swear to the Lord of the Throne, that this is our oath: We will take revenge.”

The moment the poem ended, the commander, known as “the Uncle,” fired a bullet into the back of the first prisoner’s head. His gunmen followed suit, promptly killing all the men at their feet.

This scene, documented in a video smuggled out of Syria a few days ago by a former rebel who grew disgusted by the killings, offers a dark insight into how many rebels have adopted some of the same brutal and ruthless tactics as the regime they are trying to overthrow.

The article goes on to discuss the question of how many of the rebels are connected to al-Qaeda, and how many are "moderates."  But even secular forces, such as this charming bunch, seem to be pretty brutal.

One of the comments on the article pointed out that Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt have all been at least in part the result of U.S. intervention to promote Arab democracy in the last couple of years.  The results of this supposed "smart diplomacy" argue for leaving well enough alone.

There are those who argue that "Muslim democracy" is pretty much a hopeless task.  I am not convinced that it is impossible, but Obama's crowd is making Bush's efforts in Iraq look pretty sad.