Is it possible there is a power struggle within the Syrian government itself?

[Harmony Blue]

How come I have a feeling that Bashar al-Assad and Maher al-Assad don't like each other? We know that Maher al-Assad is the general and commander of the Syrian Republican Guard. No other Syrian armed forces are allowed within the limits or around Damascus itself, so Maher has supreme control of military and secret police forces in and around the city. It is possible that the Syrian civil war has caused another fracture within a fracture based on what I have been reading.

If so, this makes it very dangerous if Bashar al-Assad has lost control, and makes Maher very unpredictable. An aggressive attack of U.S. forces against the Republican guard and 4th armored division ensures the hot tempered Maher to retaliate without his older brother's approval.

[GeorgeGist]

1. Yes ...

but your version is a bit spotty on evidence.

[Harmony Blue]

2. True but the only Syrian forces

that operate in that area are under the control of only Maher.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/08/us-syria-crisis-germany-idUSBRE98707B20130908

"Syrian brigade and division commanders had been asking the Presidential Palace to allow them to use chemical weapons for the last four-and-a-half months, according to radio messages intercepted by German spies, but permission had always been denied, the paper said."

[FarCenter]

3. There are a number of cousins in positions of power.

I've never seen an actual org chart of the Syrian government.