Day 1,104: Did the international community ‘betray’ the Syrian opposition?

Today is Day 1,104 of the Syria conflict. 

The members of the Arab League can't agree which group should be representing Syria at the summit in Kuwait, which opened today. Iraq, Lebanon, and Algeria don't want to give the role to the Syrian opposition (for reasons why, check out this interview with an Iraqi politician).

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman, on the other hand, insisted that, despite the increasing presence of terrorist groups in the Syrian opposition, "there is a legitimate resistance in Syria that was betrayed by the international community and left as a prey in the face of an oppression force." He also called on the international community to combat the terrorist presence on the ground in Syria.

The international community's "betrayal" of the Syrian opposition appears to be the theme of the day. The president of the Syrian opposition coalition, speaking at the summit, asked for world powers to pledge to end the conflict: "It is no longer acceptable for you [Arab leaders] to watch the situation of Syrians a moment longer."

Over at The Daily Beast, Abdulhamid Qabbani wonders how Syria hasn't kept the world's attention. At The Washington Post, columnist Michael Gerson argues that it has: The past three years, he says, have debunked the comforting claim that the international community's failure to act in past atrocities was due to a lack of information. The Syrian conflict has quite literally been televised through both amateur videos and professional ones. The West just doesn't seem to care. He also argues that it has "overlearned" the lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan.

The news from Syria: The fighting near the Turkish border mentioned yesterday is spreading. The opposition is pressing forward to gain access to the Mediterranean by capturing the village of Samra, according to the AP. Human Rights Watch has a new report detailing the extent of the government's air attacks on Aleppo. The organization believes barrel bombs — unguided instruments of indiscriminate destruction packed with shrapnel as well as explosives — have been used. Reuters published a report today explaining the situation on the ground in Aleppo.

The conflict continues.