Time and again, I either see people asking if there are any 'good guys' in Syria, or I'm asked if there are 'any good guys left there', or there is commentary in style of 'there are no good sides in this war'.
There is no discussion about the fact that all involved parties perceive their 'armed forces' as the 'good guys' there. This is the very essence of about 99% of SCW-related discussions on the internet.
IMHO, such discussions are actually pointless and a waste of time. What really matters is how do the people living inside areas controlled by military forces in question live, i.e. how is the every-day life organized. That, after all, is the very essence of the Syrian 'Civil' War: a popular uprising against an oppressive regime that is terrorising population since more than 40 years.
In this regards, there is no doubt about who are the 'good guys' there. Namely, and without mentioning any 'names', fact is that
a) on one side there are three oppressive dictatorships, widely renowned for applying all sorts of terror against any kind of opposition;
b) on the other side there are local civic authorities, more than half of which are run by people elected by people.
Certainly enough, 'elections' in question are often rudimentary, at most 'primitively democratic', but - contrary to quasi-elections in the three dictatorships fighting against these authorities, they are genuinely competitive.
Because the reporting about authorities in question is usually drown in 'ambient sounds' caused by the mass of sensationalist reporting about all other possible topics, and for general orientation, I've created a small list of useful links about 'Local Councils' active within insurgent-held parts of Syria.
‘Good Guys’ in Syria: Collection of Links about Civic Authorities
Hope, some here might find this useful; anybody interested in expanding this list with additional informative reports is most welcome to let me know.