Theo Padnos

The people who are in charge of Syria now, they developed their identity by fighting the Americans in Tanzim al-Qaeda, the al-Qaeda organization in Iraq. So if they were to catch an American military guy in Syria, they would go, these are the guys that have been killing our friends. Now we're going to kill him.

The people who are in charge of Syria now, they developed their identity by fighting the Americans in Tanzim al-Qaeda, the al-Qaeda organization in Iraq. So if they were to catch an American military guy in Syria, they would go, these are the guys that have been killing our friends. Now we're going to kill him.

The real issue is that we could not fathom there is some other form of evil freeing the land in Syria. We go, it must be Assad. It must be Assad. And in fact, you know, the evidence suggests, no, it wasn't Assad, but we can't see that evidence. We can't make sense of it.

The real issue is that we could not fathom there is some other form of evil freeing the land in Syria. We go, it must be Assad. It must be Assad. And in fact, you know, the evidence suggests, no, it wasn't Assad, but we can't see that evidence. We can't make sense of it.

The real issue is that we could not fathom there is some other form of evil freeing the land in Syria. We go, it must be Assad. It must be Assad. And in fact, you know, the evidence suggests, no, it wasn't Assad, but we can't see that evidence. We can't make sense of it.

I mean, I think we have so little understanding of what's happening in that country.

I mean, I think we have so little understanding of what's happening in that country.

I mean, I think we have so little understanding of what's happening in that country.

I mean, they assume that there's one person in control. They assume, oh, now these people are in control and they will all take orders from that guy. That's not how it works. It's like if you put 10 of those guys on a soccer field and ask them to coordinate and play soccer together, they wouldn't do it. The only thing that keeps them together is cash. And each guy gets paid from his commander.

I mean, they assume that there's one person in control. They assume, oh, now these people are in control and they will all take orders from that guy. That's not how it works. It's like if you put 10 of those guys on a soccer field and ask them to coordinate and play soccer together, they wouldn't do it. The only thing that keeps them together is cash. And each guy gets paid from his commander.

I mean, they assume that there's one person in control. They assume, oh, now these people are in control and they will all take orders from that guy. That's not how it works. It's like if you put 10 of those guys on a soccer field and ask them to coordinate and play soccer together, they wouldn't do it. The only thing that keeps them together is cash. And each guy gets paid from his commander.

And provided that money keeps coming, they're going to be loyal to that guy. But they don't have enough cash to hold the whole country together.

And provided that money keeps coming, they're going to be loyal to that guy. But they don't have enough cash to hold the whole country together.

And provided that money keeps coming, they're going to be loyal to that guy. But they don't have enough cash to hold the whole country together.

No, I mean, this is quite an extraordinary... How did it happen? Exactly.

No, I mean, this is quite an extraordinary... How did it happen? Exactly.

No, I mean, this is quite an extraordinary... How did it happen? Exactly.

I mean, I think when wars are won, it's because you exhaust the other party's will to fight. The Syrian government's army, they were like, we're not doing this anymore.

I mean, I think when wars are won, it's because you exhaust the other party's will to fight. The Syrian government's army, they were like, we're not doing this anymore.

I mean, I think when wars are won, it's because you exhaust the other party's will to fight. The Syrian government's army, they were like, we're not doing this anymore.