'Inside Assad's Syria': 'Stunned' Reporting From The Front Lines

Correspondent Martin Smith describes his recent time spent in Syria as “surreal” early on in “Inside Assad’s Syria,” a Frontline production premiering Tuesday night. He’s not referring to the scenes of devastation caused by bombing and warring factions within the country — the suffering endured by the victims of those actions are all too vividly real.

No, he’s referring to the intentional disconnect occurring within various parts of Syria including Damascus, where Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government are trying to portray the war-torn country as being on the upswing — a vacation resort, no less.

Mere minutes from a frontline of battle, producer-writer-narrator Smith visits a state-sanctioned luxury hotel under construction, a waiting-list of reservations for the complex already in progress.

An ad campaign called “Summer in Syria” was promoted during Smith’s recent time there, and his interviews with war-stricken, displaced populations fleeing the battles between Assad’s army troops and rebel forces are contrasted with footage of parties, nightclub revels, and fashion shows that took place in the shadow of the war. Promoted using the hashtag #SummerInSyria, tweets Smith shows us range from blithely unconcerned party-goers to a few laced with bitter humor: “Just a few more barrel-bombs and this will all be white sand,” reads one, illustrated with a snapshot of a woman and child standing in the midst of bombed rubble.

Working in a tradition of independent journalism that documents the reporter’s own stumbles as well as the facts, Smith chronicles his almost comically vexed attempts to interview Assad, even as he ends up with something that is probably equally valuable: a series of interviews with Assad loyalists who describe a view of the conflict that would doubtless make American government officials uncomfortable. It’s a rare opportunity to hear what Assad loyalists on the ground are thinking about as they fight.

Most of the Syrians Smith talked to see little difference between U.S.-backed rebels, ISIS, and — perhaps the most scorned alleged enemy — Saudi Arabia. In the minds of some of the military men Smith talks to, there is an unholy alliance between what ISIS and America are doing to their country, and they feel they can look to Russia and Vladimir Putin as their primary big-gun ally.

It’s a frightening scenario made vivid in this Frontline, capturing how differently the average American sees this conflict, when he or she thinks about it at all.

Frontline’s “Inside Assad’s Syria” airs on PBS Tuesday night. Check your local listings.