Why Bashar al-Assad stresses al-Qaida narrative

Syria has seen influx of foreign fighters, but regime has been spinning terror line since last March to help justify state violence

Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk, Friday 18 May 2012

"Bashar al-Assad claimed from the start of the Syrian uprising last March that his enemies were "armed terrorist gangs" rather than largely peaceful demonstrators calling for reform and then for the overthrow of his regime.

In the war of the "narratives" Damascus fashioned a version that emphasised opposition violence even as government troops and thugs were shooting without restraint at mostly unarmed protestors.

Assad's enemies did gradually take up arms, but the majority were defectors or those who joined the Free Syrian Army as a self-defence force. Atrocities like the brutal killings of soldiers in Jisr al-Shughour were an exception....

Assad needs terrorist enemies allegedly supported by foreign powers like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Turkey because they suit the sense of legitimacy and secular Arab nationalism he wishes to project – and help justify state repression.

"This fits neatly with the regime's attempt to ensure the loyalty of urban Sunnis and minorities fearful of Islamist rule by portraying all opposition as radical, violent and foreign-inspired," commented Emile Hokayem of the International Institute for Strategic Studies......

Still, the strong suspicion is that Assad is deliberately exaggerating the point for political and propaganda purposes. "The Syrians have tried to make a big thing recently about the influx of foreign fighters," said one western diplomat. "But the majority of serious security problems are still homegrown.""