Syrian Rebel PM Resigns After Failing to Form Cabinet

Texan Leaves After Just Four Months

Not quite four months into the appointment of Texan Ghassan Hitto as “prime minister” of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), he has announced his immediate resignation, citing his failure to form a government.

Hitto’s resignation reflects the growing division both within the SNC and within the broader rebel movement, as Islamist factions and secular factions find it impossible to work together.

Despite being an American, Hitto was the choice of the Muslim Brotherhood, and his ouster may also reflect anger at the naming of secularist Ahmed Assi al-Jabra as the “compromise” choice as the new president of the SNC.

Hitto and Jabra clearly represent two distinct factions of the SNC, and Hitto’s failure to put together a cabinet underscores their inability to coexist. How long Jabra will last remains to be seen, but recent history isn’t on his side.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.