Middle East Expert Explains Exactly Where The US Went Wrong In Syria

Hamid cited an article by IHS Janes analyst Charles Lister that explains how a new alliance of several important Islamist militant groups in Syria could be extremely damaging the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and its military arm, the Supreme Military Council (SMC).

Hamid then explained where U.S. policy went wrong: By failing to build an effective opposition, the U.S. pushed rebel groups toward al-Qaeda extremists.

The U.S. has been reluctant to provide Islamist-linked rebels with weapons throughout the 30-month conflict.

Meanwhile more hardline Islamists - including groups affiliated with al-Qaeda - have become increasingly influential on the battlefield because of superior weapons and organizations.

After U.S. recently championed a diplomatic route to end the war, several of the largest Islamist rebel groups chose to go their own way.

So basically, the idea of a "moderate" SMC backfired when the "swing Islamists" - rebels fighters with good relations with jihadi and moderate groups - decided to denounce the SNC and work more closely with extremist factions.