“For what it’s worth” ping ...
Facts are funny things. The article states that all of this funding/etc... (if the CIA part is true or not I don’t know) went on after the civil war started. In other words, even articles you agree with basically state, the civil war started, then was co-opted by groups like the Al Nusra Front and ISIS and we started funding them. So, in other words, we didn’t start the Civil War which is what you originally claimed.
I don’t disagree that there were a lot of bad characters that were fighting against Assad. I’m not (and never have been) for fighting against Assad. If he fell however, I wouldn’t be shedding any tears. I was only for defeating ISIS as they are threat to US and our interests. We supported the Kurds (who are our only friends in Syria as far as I can tell) and defeated ISIS.
I am only now for keeping a presence in the area to protect our friends (the Kurds) and keep a chip in this high stakes poker game to ensure that our aims in Syria pan out. That is to ensure that Iran does not spread it’s influence and start setting up shop there to start attacking Israel. This is the only limited basis that I care about and that IMO we should all care about. The rest of them can keep on killing each other. If we don’t do these things, then the dominoes will fall as I’ve explained in countless other posts on the subject to you and there will be a wider war which we will be drawn into. As of now, the killing that’s going on is tragic, yet regional and does not affect us.