I am playing catch up on Syria and Iraq as my focus has been elsewhere for some time now; however I would like to pose a few questions to those who have been focused on the situations.

My first questions involve a couple of names who have not been mentioned in some time: Mahammad Yunis al-Ahmad (MYA) and 'Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri. I wonder how much of a hand these two have in the fighting taking place in Syria and Iraq? I pose they are more involved in Iraq than Syria due to their ties with the Assad regime and having been in hiding in Syria for years. Do they simply want to reinstate the Ba'ath Party in Iraq and/or was there a falling out with the Assad regime? Doing some research on Google al-Douri (thought to have died) has reemerged http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rump-card.html. Interesting he plays on the "Persian" aspect. MYA has remained out of the spotlight as I cannot find any recent open source information regarding MYA's activities. I cannot overlook these two as having a role in the current situation in both countries and would appreciate other's opinions regarding their role.

I ultimately wonder who the wizard behind the curtain is playing puppet master in Syria and the desired end-state?

Lastly, regarding the reemergence of AQ I pose this question, has AQ grown that strong or is it the USG simply applying labels which are incorrect. I have seen this many times over the years, the mislabeling of groups or individuals to meet agendas.