Protests in Syria
In Syria, what began as another chapter of the Arab Spring has deteriorated into a humanitarian catastrophe. Peaceful protests starting on March 15th, 2011 were met by the reigning Assad regime with violence and mass arrests. Popular uprisings soon became a full-scale civil war, resulting in over 100,000 casualties and the displacement of millions. Government air raids on rebel strongholds are frequently indiscriminate and result in numerous civilian deaths and massive damage to infrastructure. Army sieges on entire towns prevent access by humanitarian groups to provide necessary food and medical assistance to needy Syrians, resulting in widespread malnutrition and disease. Jihadist elements with extremist ideologies have capitalized on a lack of foreign intervention by waging successful campaigns against the Syrian army, resulting in both increased favor among rebel groups and the further discouragement of outside support. On August 21, 2013, a chemical attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta forced the hand of the international community to disarm the Syrian government’s chemical arsenal, but the conflict continues unabated. Warning: The videos presented can be extremely graphic.