SYRIA UNREST

Syria is one of the oldest places where
civilization has thought to have started. Its
capital, Damascus, is one of the oldest
continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Throughout history it has seen many changes,
violent and otherwise.
Today it is comprised of a number of ethnic
groups, mostly Arab, though a reasonable
number of Kurds, Armenians are also
present. There have also been a number of
Iraqi refugees and the main Arab group are
themselves from different sects and
denominations.
Around January 2011, following on from the
Arab Spring where protests against ruling
regimes erupted in a number of Middle East
countries, protesters in Syria came out
demanding President Bashar al-Assad and his
government step down. In response, Assad
sent in troops with some cities and regions
being besieged for weeks and months. Both
pro and anti-government protest gatherings
have at times been large.
Criticism of Syria’s crackdown has been quite
widespread. The Arab League has responded
by suspending Syria’s membership. Syria
claims that it is fighting an insurgency that is
terrorist by nature and claimed Al Qaeda is
involved. It has not been possible to verify
that claim so many see it as a cynical excuse.
The ruling regime is a sect of Shia, so has
support from Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah,
while the opposition is largely Sunni, thus
receiving support from other Middle East
countries, such as Saudi Arabia and others.
Thousands have been killed — civilians and
armed combatants. Some are asking the West
for a military intervention like there was in
Libya, but the US in particular is not keen on
another military intervention even though
they have been openly hostile and critical of
the Syrian ruling regime for many years.
China and Russia also have close ties with
Syria and to date have not been keen on any
action condemning Syria and have even
vetoed some actions. Some papers have
reported Iran and others helping Syria with
weapons, while others also mentioned the
opposition being armed by the West.