Potential Issues in Arming the Syrian Rebels
As the situation in Syria continues, the numerous calls for US involvement grow as well. These calls have included arming the Syrian opposition forces, including the indirect supplying of arms through the Arab League.
However, there are several issues that arise when discussing the possibility of arming the Syrian opposition.
The first main issue is who exactly are the Syrian forces opposing the Assad regime?
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) is made up of defectors from the Syrian Armed Forces but they do not comprise the whole opposition movement. There has been a desire to coordinate actions with the Syrian National Council, a coalition of Syrian opposition groups, but there has been no official unification of the two organizations. Without a true and unified movement to provide support, it would not be a wise decision to arm them at this time.
Second, if the opposition was to unify into a single unit and then arms were provided to them, there would most likely be a significant increase in the bloodshed, prolonging the conflict. It is likely that both the Syrian armed forces and the FSA would engage in larger-scale interaction if military support was given to the FSA opposition group.
More potential issues loom even if the revolt is successful in removing the Assad regime from power.
How will the arms be recovered from the opposition fighters following the conclusion of military operations? There will have to be recovery programs for the weapons and an effective DDR (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) policy in place after the end of the conflict. If the fighters are not properly disarmed, militias may form and these militias may prevent the country from moving forward. This hypothetical situation would be similar to the current situation in Libya.
More importantly, the root problems causing the revolt need to be resolved.
Supporting the Syrian opposition forces requires a firm commitment from the United States and the international community. Their support must be more than the provision of military supplies. There has to be a commitment to the aftermath of the Syrian rebellion and a serious concern in improving the post-conflict situation. Hopefully the desire of the US and the international community to support and arm the Syrian uprising is a genuine one. Their desire should be to build a better and safer Syria and it should more than a desire for toppling Assad.
