Background Information
Location
Syria is Formally known as the Syrian Arab Republic, it is a country in Western Asia. It borders Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south and Israel to the southwest. (CIA World Factbook) Religion in Syria Of the Syrian population, 74% are Sunnis (including Sufis), 13% are Shias, either Alawites (11.0%), Twelvers (1.0%), Ismailis (0.5%), or Zaydis (0.5%). 3% were Druze, while the remaining 10-12% were Christians. Not all the Sunnis are Arabs. Most of the Kurds, who make up 10% of the population are officially Sunni, as are the Turkmens who encompass 3-5%. Syria is at most 59-61% Sunni Arab. (CIA World Factbook) Religious Tension After receiving an interview with a Syrian national, he says that in fact there is little religious tension and that they live/lived in relative harmony. Interview Here http://insiderevolution.weebly.com/interview-with-omar.html This may be correct for the general populace of Syria, however between different religious groups, some of which aren't even Syrian (Muslim Brotherhood) there has been tension. ("Syria's Civil War"). Relevant Statistics Population 22.4 million Population growth rate 2.0% annual change (2012) Gross domestic product 73.67 billion USD (2012) Life expectancy 75.84 years (2011) (CIA World Factbook) |
Government
Officially, Syria is a republic. In actuality though it is an authoritarian regime disguised as a democracy. Citizens do get to vote for the president and officials, they actually have “little choice and electoral results are often adjusted” Syrians do not have the right to modify the position of the Ba’ath Party (New York Times). The military and security services carry a great deal of power, expressed in even more violent terms since the outbreak of protest demonstrations in March 2011. Political opposition to the President is not tolerated, and allegiance to the person of the President has become the criterion for loyalty to the state. Syria declared an official state of emergency in 1963, which was changed in April 2011 to appease protesters (New York Times). Syrian governments have justified martial law by the state of war that continues to exist with Israel and by continuing threats posed by terrorist groups. (Syria:Government) |
The ConflictHow it started
Protesters took to the streets to demonstrate as 15 schoolchildren had been arrested for writing anti-government graffiti on a wall. The demonstrations weren't violent at the start. The protesters wanted the "children's release, democracy and greater freedom for people in the country." (BBC - Syrian Revolution Overview) The government responded angrily, and on 18 March 2011, the army opened fire on protesters, killing four people. The following day, they shot at mourners at the victims' funerals, killing another person. People were shocked and angry at what had happened and soon the unrest had spread to other parts of the country. ("Syria's Civil War"). Timeline of Events 2011 March - Protests begin in Damascus and the southern city of Deraa. The protesters demand the release of political prisoners. The military fire upon the protests, with some casualties in Deraa. This led to days of violence, which ended up becoming national wide in the coming months. The government announces some half hearted measures in an attempt to stop the unrest. President Assad even releases some political prisoners, restructures the government and removes the nearly 50 year old state of emergency, which allowed the military to enact martial law. 2011 June - The government says that 120 members of the security forces have been killed by "armed gangs" in the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour. Troops besiege the town and more than 10,000 people flee to Turkey. President Assad pledges to start a "national dialogue" on reform. 2011 July - President Assad sacks the governor of the northern province of Hama after mass demonstration there, eventually sending in troops to restore order at the cost of scores of lives. Opposition activists meet in Istanbul to form a unified opposition. 2011 October - Newly formed Syrian National Council says it has forged a common front of internal and exiled opposition activists. Russia and China veto UN resolution condemning Syria. 2011 November - Arab League votes to suspend Syria, accusing it of failing to implement an Arab peace plan, and imposes sanctions. Army defectors target a military base near Damascus in the Free Syrian Army's most high-profile attack since protests began. Government supporters attack foreign embassies. 2011 December - Syria agrees to an Arab League initiative allowing Arab observers into the country. Thousand of protesters gather in Homs to greet them, but the League suspends its mission in January because of worsening violence. Twin suicide bombs outside security buildings in Damascus kill 44, the first in a series of large blasts in the the capital that continue into the following summer. Opposition accuses government of staging these and subsequent attacks. 2012 February - Russia and China block a UN Security Council draft resolution on Syria, and the government steps up the bombardment of Homs and other cities, recapturing the Homs district of Baba Amr the following month. The UN says that more than 7,500 people have died since the security crackdown began. 2012 July - Free Syria Army blows up three security chiefs in Damascus and seizes Aleppo in the north. A government offensive to recapture the city makes only limited headway. 2012 August - The government suffers further blows. A UN General Assembly resolution demands that President Assad resign, high-level defections gather pace - most notably Prime Minister Riad Hijab - and US President Obama warns that use of chemical weapons would tilt the US towards intervention. 2012 October - Syria-Turkish tension rises when Syrian mortar fire on a Turkish border town kills five civilians. Turkey returns fire and intercepts a Syrian plane allegedly carrying arms from Russia. Both countries ban each other's planes from their air space. 2012 December - The US joins Britain, France, Turkey and Gulf states in formally recognising Syria's opposition National Coalition as "the legitimate representative" of the Syrian people. 2013 April - US and Britain demand investigation into reports government forces used chemical weapons. Prime Minister Wael Nader Al-Halqi narrowly escapes death in bomb attack in centre of Damascus. 2013 September - UN weapons inspectors conclude that chemical weapons were used in an attack on the Ghouta area of Damascus in August that killed about 300 people, but do not explicitly allocate responsibility for the attack. Timeline information from BBC |
Profile of the Protesters Who are they? There are many organizations, and groups that fall under the umbrella of the Syrian Opposition. These range from religious groups, to simply middle class citizens wanting change. On 11 November, the Syrian National Coalition was formed (SNC). It is a coalition of all the groups opposed to the Syrian government. ("World News: Syria") The SNC consists of - The Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist group established in 1930. In 1980 the group was banned from Syria. The Syrian government have claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood of being one of the main groups in escalating the Syrian conflict into a civil war. ("World News: Syria") - Coalition of Secular and Democratic Syrians. This group which was created during the conflict, was made through the union of Muslim, Christian, Arab and Kurd groups. They called for minorities to help fight against the government. ("World News: Syria") - Damascus Declaration. A group that has existed since 2005, and has 2 members that were sentenced to jail in 2008. It is made up of 5 smaller groups that signed the 'Damascus Declaration'. ("World News: Syria") There are many many more groups involved such as the Free Syria Army, a paramilitary group that has been What do they want? Each group has their own agenda on what they want however, overall they all want more freedom and democracy in Syria. ("World News: Syria") Impact
The Syrian Conflict has had a large impact. It has uprooted many syrian families and made them flee the country. More than 2 million Syrians have fled the violence and gone to neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Jordan. In March of this year it was found that over 10,000 people per day were leaving Syria. Internally, 4 million people have been displace and 6 million are in need of aid. Lebanon is taking the brunt of the refugees, and estimates it has 1.3 million, but officially only has 702,000 registered. This is putting a strain on the Lebanese government. Jordan is another country that has been struggling with the large influx of people. It has started to turn people away from its border. Below is a picture of the Zastari refugee camp in Jordan, which holds 113,000 people.
Chemical Weapons
Since the 1970s Syria has posesssed weapons of mass destruction, which included chemical weapons. Although it wasn't until 2012 when Syria explicitly said it had chemical weapons, it was estimated that it had 1,300 tonnes of chemcial weapons including sarin gas, and Yperite.
On the 21st of August 2013, there was a chemical weapon attack in Ghouta. It was confirmed to be sarin gas in September 2013 by the U.N. The attack took place a day after U.N. inspectors arrived to deal with prior chemical weapon attacks. It is unknown who fired the sarin gas, however the cannisters were shot from a rebel controlled section of Ghouta. Chemical weapons were determined to be used by the UN The United States as of 1st December 2013, has offered to destroy Syrias chemical weapons cache on one of its Navy Ships. CasualtiesOverall Casualty Estimate
On 24 July 2013, the United Nations put out an estimate of over 100,000 that had died in the war. (Times of Oman) Child Casualties 500 children had been killed by early February 2012 (UNICEF). 400 children have been reportedly arrested and tortured in Syrian prisons. Both claims were denied by the Syrian government. By late October 2013, the opposition activist group reported the number of children killed in the conflict had risen to 6,365, while at the same time 4,269 women were also killed (SOHR). 6,561 children were killed by mid-June 2013 (UN). The Oxford Research Group said that a total of 11,420 children had been killed in the conflict by late November 2013. Video of Children bombed during an Interview. Somewhat graphic. They all survived, however it shows the reality of the situation. |