The Doha meeting was a response to increasing pressure from the opposition's foreign backers to form a new alliance that superseded the Syrian National Council (SNC), which was widely viewed as ineffective, consumed by infighting and little respected on the ground. Reaction within the SNC was mixed, with some groups concerned that they would only control 22 seats on the leadership council, but the alliance's chairman George Sabra asserted at the time: "This is a serious step against the regime and a serious step towards freedom."
The National Coalition also includes members of the Local Co-ordination Committees (LCC), a network of grassroots opposition activists, as well as representatives of the local revolutionary councils. It also has the support of the rebel Supreme Military Council (SMC) and Free Syrian Army (FSA).