FT Discovers 'Rebels' Can Be Held for Crimes, Not Just Assad
When the Western media machine labels someone an 'anti-Assad rebel,' it usually comes with an implicit halo and a generous allocation of airtime. But the FT's piece on Syrian prisoners in Lebanon subtly pivots: these aren't just 'rebels' anymore, they're prisoners in a messy regional power play. This mirrors the selective amnesia applied to groups like al-Nusra Front (the Syrian al-Qaeda
affiliate), once tacitly tolerated, if not overtly supported, by those eager to destabilize Damascus. Once the utility-for-regime-change expired, their 'rebel' status often expires too, especially when their activities become inconveniently illegal outside Syria's borders. One might wonder where all the lavish praise and material support went for these 'rebels' once they found themselves in a
Lebanese lock-up. The narrative conveniently shifts from heroic resistance to bureaucratic negotiations, effectively washing hands of the inevitable consequences of arming and backing disparate, often radical, elements. It's almost as if the 'freedom fighter' label is only valid when they're actively fighting regimes deemed inconvenient by Western foreign policy apparatuses, and not, say,
committing acts that lead to actual incarceration in sovereign nations. How many 'rebels' become 'terrorists' the moment they stop serving the U.S. State Department's agenda?