With al Qaeda now seen by the U.S. as likely the only group in Syria “militarily capable of challenging the Assad regime’s grip on power, the U.S. is in the uncomfortable position of having to rehabilitate 9/11 and current terrorists into supportable “moderates.” by Whitney Webb Last week, Foreign Affairs, self-described as the “leading magazine for analysis and debate of foreign policy,” published an article titled “The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda.” The piece takes note of the fact that al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, long known as Jabhat al-Nusra or al-Nusra Front, changed its names numerous times in order to present itself as “moderate” in comparison to other terror groups operating in Syria, particularly Daesh (so called Islamic State). Most counter-terrorism and foreign policy analysts noted at the time that al Qaeda-affiliated rebels’ attempts at rebranding were intended to improve its chances of receiving funds from foreign governments and to protect it