Those who say arm Syria's opposition are making a dangerous assumption*
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Assad's regime won't be compelled to negotiate by force: any firepower the rebels gain will be more than matched by its allies
"Whatever firepower may be provided to the rebels will be more than matched by the regime's allies. SAM missiles may affect the regime's freedom in the skies, but it has sufficient alternative firepower in terms of its massed artillery and armoured forces to maintain its edge. Anti-tank weapons are of limited use in what is essentially an urban war."
I find this an unpersuasive argument. Wouldn't anti-tank weapons be quite useful against armoured forces? The rest is to repeat the anti-FSA narrative, like Patrick Cockburn they repeat figures for the dead with pro-government assumptions thrown in, and ignoring the probability that given the nature of the war, those killed by the government are markedly underestimated. All done to present the sides as being equal in barbarity, which is an untruth.
The idea that Assad won't respond to force, but will if you offer him sweeties and ask him to stroke non-existent puppies in the park, is not one that should overly detain us.
*[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/12/arm-syria-opposition-dangerous-assumption]
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