The Syrian opposition movement is a complex ethno-religious and political coalition whose common goals are overthrowing Bashar al Assad and initiate a transition towards democracy. Each of the groups presents a far from homogeneous structure in which factions as disparate as Islamists and secularists coexist in the same group. The Syrian opposition is formed by The Syrian National Council, the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change, Local Coordination Committees and the Free Syrian Army.

The Syrian National council is the most visible and well known opposition group formed by secularists, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Damascus Declaration for Democratic Change, local coordination committees formed by Syrian grassroots movements, Kurdish factions and the Syrian Revolution General Commission, also formed by grassroots movements. It is known that a large percentage of its members live abroad and others live inside Syria.
The goal of the Syrian National Council is to act as a political umbrella organisation that visualises the opposition to Bashar al Assad at an international level. It aspires to overthrow the government of al Assad, guide the transition to a democratic Syria and participate in the construction of a modern civil state.
The National Coordination Body for Democratic Change is a more moderate, left wing opposition group in which some Kurdish minorities and young activist are also visible. The group is led by Hussein Abdul Azim, a well-known opposition figure in Syria. The main difference with the SNC is its utter refusal to foreign intervention (the NSC does not totally oppose this measure) and its softer approach to the regime, with which it would eventually establish dialogue with al Assad on condition that the army were withdrawn from the streets.
The local coordination committees is formed by young activists involved in various grassroots movements operating in Syria at the moment. This is the group whose activism is crucial for maintaining daily pressure and protests against al Assad as they are mainly young and are protected by a network of family and friends.
The Free Syrian Army is a group of soldiers who have defected from the Syrian army. It is difficult to know how many members it consists of though it is estimated that around 15,000 as opposed to the 200,000 that from the Syrian army.