What the Retreat from Homs Means

Free lance journalist Stephen Starr has been based in Syria since 2007 and has observed the uprising there since its early stirrings.

Lisa Mullins speaks to Starr about the meaning of the loss of Bab Amr.

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Lisa Mullins: The siege of horns has reached the pressure on the international community to somehow intervene to stop the violence. But things may look a lot different inside Syria. Journalist Stephen Starr has been based in Syria since 2007. He left just recently out of concern, for his personal safety. Starr says the situation in Syria is complicated and that in cities like Damascus and Aleppo, support for the Azad regime is still strong.

Stephen Starr: I think it’s important, that we try and understand the Damascus psyche. We need to understand how the regime thinks. We need to understand the point of view. From Damascus people, the information is being forced on them that the regime is strong, that the regime is conducting wide scale reforms political and so on and that the regime is fighting rebel movement, that is trying to destroy Syrian stability. We have to think of how things have been in Syria for the last 40 years, it’s a very very strong system, still to this day they have a strong media apparatus propaganda, is extremely strong until now for example the taxi driver who turns on the radio, would be listening to how strong and how important and how significant the government regime is. Every single newspaper is controlled by the state and of course there is paintings, portraits, advertisements all over the city that re- affect people’s mindset.

Mullins: What is horns in the bombardment of Baba Amr signify in the bigger picture.

Starr: Well horns has been a thorn in the side of the regime for a very very long time. Almost it’s come up to a year now and the area Baba Amr has been on the control of the opposition and the Free Syrian Army for several months. So until very recently it was seen, it’s possible that the Syrian army could operate from the Syrian horns and perhaps expand their position and expand their influence starting from Syria and now of course all that is gone and so I think they are almost back to zero.

Mullins: So what is all this mean for the opposition? The Syrian opposition.

Starr: I think they are going to be seriously deflated by today’s events. I think they basically have hope in the Free Syrian army and the military capabilities they have and now we see that when it comes to point of a significance face to face military confrontation, that they run they leave the area and while you have left now are the civilians in Baba Amr and the others in horns were left to deal with the regime, as no one can basically do what it wants in the area.

Mullins: Could that have been avoided though?

Starr: I don’t think so. I think the way the regime has approached the uprising has led to a situation where by its military confrontation greatly imbalance in favor of the regime. The regime from the start believes that they were fighting gangs and now obviously you have the rebel movements. So in the eyes of the regime and in the eyes of the media apparatus they can say that these are rebels, these are gangs and we sort of from the very beginning knew they were fighting gangs and here they are and you can see them.

Mullins: What’s the significance of what’s happening today in Baba Amr.

Starr: I think it’s extremely significant. I think it is going to knock the wind out of the protests movements. I think we are seeing the rebels, the Free Syrian Army for what they really are. They have been talked about as the coherence in United Organization and some parts for quite a while and now we see that they are not. What happened today were really bow the regime to continue its attacks against rebels and demonstrators.

Mullins: Thanks a lot for talking with us. Stephen Starr freelance journalist who has been in eastern Syria since 2007 is no longer in the country now. Thank you Stephen.

Starr: Thank you.

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