We're constantly hearing how the war in Syria is about democracy, and how the "rebels" are "freedom-fighters". Those same rebels, who in their great part are foreign mujahideen and radical Islamist fighters. Hell, the opposition in Syria is openly admitting being financed by Saudi Arabia and Qatar! You see, those two paragons of freedom and liberty will be teaching Syria of democracy. It's like a tapir teaching a falcon to fly. But when you've got a huge media apparatus supporting that narrative, of course many among the public would take it all, hook, line and sinker.

I would like to suggest that while energy barons are vying, there has to be some validity to the fight the Syrians have been waging against their oppressive government.

These things are not mutually exclusive, and neither is hijacking their real struggle against real oppression into a useful narrative for power, sadly. We know this in the states all too well.