The Kickstarter War

Two veteran freedom fighters have begun a Kickstarter campaign to finance their trip to Syria, to participate in the rebellion against the government of Bashar al-Assad.

Libyan Masood Bwisir and American journalist and filmmaker Matthew vanDyke participated in the Libyan rebellion, and vanDyke spend six months in one of Gaddafi’s jails before escaping.

The money is to be spent on making and publicizing a documentary film about the Syrian rebels, not specifically on actually fighting Assad’s army.  Though if the heavily-armed filmmakers are attacked by Syrian forces, presumably they’ll be compelled to shoot back.

UPDATE: Kickstarter has suspended the project.

I can see their point.  While fighting Assad, and/or making a film about people who fight Assad, is certainly praiseworthy, the project c0uld well open the door for all sorts of mayhem.  What if terrorist groups started using Kickstarter, or criminal forces specializing in blood diamonds, or mercenaries intent on overthrowing governments?

Still, what we’re seeing here is maybe the first ever attempt to crowdsource a war.  And it won’t be the last.