It has now been nearly three months since Manaf Tlas’s defection. At the time, his flight from Syria was hailed as the most significant defection.
Every defector has a past association with the regime he leaves. Manaf Tlas has been attacked by some in the opposition because he was part of the Asad regime. The Tlas family has been associated with this regime for decades. There is no question that the family benefited from their position. Manaf’s father was the defense minister. His brother has been a high profile Businessman. Manaf himself served in the Republican Guards and has had a close personal relationship with Bashar al-Assad for most of his life. During the last three months, Manaf has tried to explain why that past makes him particularly qualified to serve the opposition today and why he has come out squarely against the regime that he was born into...
http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/?p=15950