This article, based on extensive interviews between May and October 1999 with serious representatives of all ten Damascus-based opposition groups, outlines the history, purpose, and activities of the alliance as well as the histories, ideologies, and interrelationships of the member factions. A final section addresses the present challenges and how the alliance is facing them.

Andres Strindberg, a partner of Brannan & Strindberg Consulting, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in international relations at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.