[Dilmah G]

Sex sells -- but can it sell a bloody Middle Eastern revolution pitting disparate armed factions against an entrenched autocrat?

Last year's successful overthrow of Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi turned Libya's rebels with a cause into international sex symbols. Now Syrian rebels are getting the star treatment, with one particularly dashing combatant starring in his very own internet meme -- "Ridiculously photogenic  Syrian soldier." With his nonchalant stride, close-cropped dark hair, chiseled chin, and steely-eyed intensity, this freedom fighter's sculpted physique gives us some ideas about the guns of the Syrian opposition.  An RPG rests casually on one sculpted shoulder, prompting one caption-er to posit:



While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton skipped meeting with the Syrian National Council while visiting Turkey this week, we'd be happy to draw some red lines of our own with this coy comrade. And although observers are bracing for the implications of spillover from the conflict throughout the region, we're ... actually pretty worried about that, too.

Perhaps the beleaguered uprising will finally grab headlines now that its most attractive proponent has been identified. Just one more reason the world should keep an eye on Syria -- in this case, a very close eye indeed. 

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/08/15/ridiculously_photogenic_syrian_soldier_a_weapon_of_mass_seduction

lolwut.

EDIT: Link inserted.

[Mort]

Where exactly did you get this?

[Dilmah G]

Oops! OP amended. But it came up on Facebook first...

[Nuke]

theres yer problem

[stinkyFeet]

I had a whole system set up with ninjas, pirates, zombies, and robots. Now I have to work in rebels? Gah! Can i fit them between pirates and ponies?

[Dilmah G]

theres yer problem

Yeah, well at least Syria's getting some love on a popular platform. I'm not full-bottle on it myself, but the news about Syria tends to take a backseat over here to domestic ****, like a tax on carbon and seeking asylum.

[Mort]

So much to report on Syria and they choose to report on an internet meme it spawned? Maybe they should stick to carbon taxes and asylum seekers

[Dilmah G]

...fair call. In my defence, I think the blog is American.