Syria experts in the US

I was talking to one US Syria expert the other day.  Have you noticed that most established and seasoned Syria experts have been silent for the last several years.  Notice that there are new terrorism experts who now pose as Syria experts and those are the ones who are treated as Syria experts (and they usually are with Gulf funded or Zionist funded think tanks in the US and elsewhere).  But the known Syria experts are silent.  It is not easy, I maintain to challenge the dominant narrative on Syria.  I have argued before that it is easier for a US academic to use the term "apartheid Israel" than to bash Syrian rebels.  It is just not considered within the norms of acceptable discourse and for that many Syria experts are rather quiet.  And US media would rather hear from the likes of WINEP instant experts anyway.