Garbage is plied up in the Bustan al-Qasr area of Aleppo, Syria on Nov. 10, 2012. The Arabic writing on the kiosk reads, "the money of the revolution is for the people." Picture by Mónica G. Prieto AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.
In journalism and on social media, I often come across a narrative - from the Syrian regime's most ardent supporters, to even those who acknowledge its oppressive nature - asserting that the Assad regime is fighting a war against vile, extremist, Al-Qaeda-like organisations.
The ignorant simplicity of this argument became clear after the fall of rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
The city was often portrayed as the epicentre of a jihadi insurgency liberated by the national army. Many ostensibly left-wing individuals worldwide even went so far as to celebrate this as "liberation".
