Let’s meet the folks we’re getting in bed with

We are about to get in bed with various Syrian rebels – rebels we have been hesitant to arm for fear the weapons might end up in the wrong hands. But skeptical Senators got some reassurance Wednesday that there is indeed a moderate opposition.

“And it is already fighting the Islamic state,” said
former Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, who was pulled out of Syria three years ago for his own safety.

He said there are as many as 100,000 fighters ready to take on ISIL, and yes, some of them, like ISIL, are dedicated Islamists.

“But they do not seek to impose a religious state by force,” Ford said.

He even admitted that these moderates have sometimes collaborated with ISIL in their common fight against the Syrian government. But it’s not because they wanted to, it’s because we refused to supply them with weapons before now.

“They were very blunt with it, and said, you give us more stuff and we won’t have to deal with them,” he said.

He believes ISIL’s cruelty toward the cities it conquers has made it vulnerable. But once ISIL is out, the only way to keep them out – is to fill the vacuum immediately.

“As ISIL is pushed out of places, I think there’s going to have to be a dedication of resources so that the lights stay on. So that there is clean water, maybe so that even schools can reopen,” said Ford.

And don’t expect it to be pretty, he said. “There are no angels in the Syrian war now.”

Former Syrian Ambassador Robert Ford is a man who speaks the local languages, has been to the villages, has met the local fighters, isn’t running for anything, and seems to know what he’s talking about.