Did it ever catch your attention, that we only ever hear the voices of ordinary Syrians after they come under government protection? But while they're in custody of the allegedly "liberal" and "progressive" US and Israeli-backed saboteurs we have to rely on information collected by outside observers, who dare not set foot in opposition areas, out of fear for their very lives?
Did you ever notice that while reconstruction efforts are underway in cities captured by government forces, the conditions in US-occupied regions seems to deteriorate month after month?
Whether or not you accept the legitimacy of Assad's rule, the Syrian people have built a society over many generations. A society which allows them to trust and help each other. It doesn't matter who leads, or claims to lead, that society. What's important is that people participate in it. What matters is that people can cooperate towards prosperity under a common set of rules and values and mutual understanding.
The USA and their allies seek to destroy that society. In their arrogance, the Western forces want to reshape the independent Syrian people into obedient "consumers" of the global capitalist market. While they claim lofty ideals and spout platitudes about "progress" and "humanitarianism", they simultaneously destroy that which allege to want to help. They kill the very people whose lives are supposed to be improved. They rob the children of the very future that they promise.
This piece is not intended to white-wash the Assad regime's crimes against its own people, nor its infractions against the principles of liberty and democracy. Neither is it intended to paint a picture of "goodies" versus "baddies". No doubt there are villains on both sides of the war. The Syrian people will only move forward through forgiveness and unconditional trust towards their compatriots, not by holding grudges.
However, that cannot happen until the foreign instigators of the conflict come clean with their intentions. A lasting peace cannot be built on false pretences.