SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

K WL

Syria

Syria is a nation of about 21 million people -- roughly 2 million more than the population of New York state. It sits on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East.

Syria is run by the minority sect known as Alawites, which make up 11.8 percent of the population. 

Bashar al-Assad

Why do you think he ran unopposed?

The Syrian civil war, also known as Syrian uprising[51] or Syrian crisis(Arabic:  السورية is an ongoing armed conflict in Syria between [54][53][52],(األزمةforces loyal to the Ba’ath government and those seeking to oust it. The conflict began on 15 March 2011, with popular demonstrations that grew nationwide by April 2011. These demonstrations were part of the wider Middle Eastern protest movement known as the Arab Spring. Protesters demanded the resignation ofPresident Bashar al-Assad, whose family has held the presidency in Syria since 1971, as well as the end of Ba’ath Party rule, which began in 1963

In June 2013, the death toll surpassed 100,000 according to the United Nations. According to various opposition activist groups, between 80,350 and 106,425 people have been killed, of which about half were civilians,[66] but also including 65,100 armed combatants consisting of both the Syrian Army and rebel forces,[24] up to 1,000 opposition protesters[33] and 1,000 government officials.[25] By October 2012, up to 28,000 people had been reported missing, including civilians forcibly abducted by government troops or government security forces.[67] According to the UN, about 4 million Syrians have been displaced within the country and 1.8 million have fled to other countries.[68][69]

Refugee Video

Chemical Weapons

Clear, colorless, odorless Turns from liquid to gas Can enter through the eyes,

nose, mouth, skin

Symptoms: Eye pain, blurred vision, drooling and sweating, cough, chest tightness, rapid breathing, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and/or abdominal pain, increased urination, confusion, drowsiness, weakness, headache, slow or fast heartbeat, and low or high blood pressure.

Questions?

What should we do? Can you think of a time

in American History that is similar to this?

How did the Americans respond to that conflict?