July 19, 2012

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reportedly left Damascus, the capital, for the coastal city of Latakia to direct the defense of his regime. Latakia is the heartland of his minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi`ite Islam. Alawites dominate the Syrian government, military, and business community.

In Damascus, government troops remain in a standoff against armed rebels. Artillery, helicopter gunships, and tanks are being deployed in the southwest and northeast sections of the city, and civilians are being ordered out of these neighborhoods. In an announcement issued by the Syrian state news agency, the armed forces stated that it would “decisively” eliminate “the criminal and murder gangs, chasing them out of their rotten hide-outs wherever they are until clearing the homeland of their evils.” Fighting began in Damascus on July 15, one day after the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Committee of the Red Cross declared that it viewed the conflict in Syria as a full-blown civil war.

Yesterday, three high-ranking Syrian officials–the defense minister, the deputy chief of staff of the Syrian military, and the head of the crisis management office–were killed in a massive bomb attack at National Security Headquarters in Damascus. The deputy chief of staff, General Assef Shawkat, was President Assad’s brother-in-law. The rebel Free Syrian Army claimed responsibility.

Bashar al-Assad became president of Syria in July 2000. AP/Wide World

In Washington, D.C., U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta described the situation in Syria as “rapidly spinning out of control,” and he warned Assad’s government to safeguard its large stockpile of chemical weapons. At the United Nations (UN) in New York City, Russia and China for a third time vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for tougher sanctions on Syria. More than 16,000 people are believed to have been killed since the uprising in Syria began in March 2011.

Additional World Book articles:

• Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)

July 16, 2012

Fierce clashes between antigovernment activists and the Syrian military continue in Damascus for a second day. Troops backed by armored personnel carriers are being deployed in various parts of the city. According to witnesses communicating by cell phone to media outside the country, the deployment in the capital is the largest in the 16-month uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. A Syrian activist told the Associated Press that the main road to Damascus International Airport in the south has been closed. Speaking to a BBC reporter, one resident stated, “It’s mainly in the southern parts of the city which are effectively besieged at the moment. . . The feeling, among people around me, is that it’s our turn now. We are really feeling this. That this is the final fight, building up to who wins control of the regime.” Yesterday, the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Committee of the Red Cross declared that it now viewed the conflict in Syria as a full-blown civil war.

Clashes between antigovernment activists and the Syrian military, ongoing since March 2011, have recently spread into the capital city of Damascus.

Last week, more than 200 Syrians were massacred in a village near the city of Hama. Helicopter gunships and tanks bombarded Tremseh before militiamen stormed the farming village and carried out execution-style killings, in what could prove to be the worst single incident of violence since the start of the uprising.

In response, Syria’s ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf al-Fares, announced that he had defected from Assad’s government and was supporting the opposition. The diplomat’s move comes just days after another top-level defection. On July 4, Brigadier General Manaf Tlass, a long-time friend and member of Assad’s inner circle, crossed into Turkey with his family and several lesser ranking members of the Syrian military. According to the Turkish government, hundreds of Syrian soldiers have sought refuge across the border.

Kofi Annan, the special United Nations (UN) and Arab League envoy for Syria, arrived in Moscow today (July 16) to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is expected to urge Putin to pressure Syria’s leaders to begin a political transition. A long-time ally of Syria, Russia has vetoed several UN Security Council resolutions for foreign intervention. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is also expected to discuss the situation in Syria with Chinese leaders when he arrives in Beijing for a China-Africa summit. China has joined Russia in vetoing the Security Council resolutions. Some 16,000 people are believed to have been killed since the uprising began in March 2011.

Additional World Book articles:

• Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)

June 8, 2012

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon informed the General Assembly yesterday that UN monitors were shot at trying to get to the scene of yet another massacre in Syria. According to opposition activists, at least 78 people in the village of Qubair, near Hama, were slaughtered on June 6 by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The victims included as many as 40 women and children. Condemning “this unspeakable barbarity,” Ban stated that for many months it had been evident that Assad and his government “have lost all legitimacy” as well as “its fundamental humanity.”

On May 29, major Western nations expelled Syrian diplomats in response to the May 25 massacre of 108 civilians in the Houla region of Syria. (Houla is an area northwest of the city of Homs, center of the 14-month uprising against the Assad regime.) Outrage over the killings–one of the gravest atrocities in the uprising–prompted the governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States to inform the various Syrian legations that top diplomats were to leave within the week.

Syria. World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.

Members of the UN Human Rights Council believe that the Syrian army and the feared shabiha militia may have carried out both massacres. It is widely believed that the shabiha, consisting mainly of Alawite Muslims, is the Assad regime’s hired death squad. (Alawites are a mystical Sunni religious group prominent in Syria. The Assad family and most Syrian government officials are members of the sect.)

The UN Security Council has condemned the Syrian government “in the strongest possible terms.” The council pronounced the “outrageous use of violence against civilians” a violation of international law. At least 10,000 people have died in Syria since protests against the Assad regime broke out in March 2011.

Additional World Book articles:

• Diplomacy
• Hafez al-Assad
• Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)

May 29, 2012

Major Western nations today expelled Syrian diplomats in response to the massacre of 108 civilians in the Houla region of Syria on May 25. (Houla is an area northwest of the city of Homs, center of the 14-month uprising against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.) Outrage over the killings–one of the gravest atrocities in the uprising–prompted the governments of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States to inform the various Syrian legations that top diplomats are to leave within the week.

(World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

In Syria’s capital, Damascus, United Nations (UN) special envoy Kofi Annan announced that he has warned Assad that time is running out. “We are at a tipping point,” he stated at a news conference. “The Syrian people do not want the future to be one of bloodshed and division. Yet the killings continue and the abuses are still with us today. As I reminded the president, the international community will soon be reviewing the situation.”

UN human rights spokesman Rupert Colville announced earlier in the day that investigations suggest that most of those killed in the village of Taldou, near Houla–including 49 children and 34 women–were “summarily executed,” killed by close-range gunfire or knife attack. Survivors claimed that the army and the feared shabiha militia from nearby Alawite villages carried out the atrocities. (Alawites are a mystical Sunni Muslim religious group prominent in Syria. The Assad family and most Syrian government officials are members of the sect.) It is widely believed that the shabiha–Arabic for “thugs”–are the Assad regime’s hired goons.

Kofi Annan (AP/Wide World and Kathy Willens)

On May 27, the UN Security Council, meeting in emergency session, condemned the Syrian government “in the strongest possible terms” for “the killings . . . of dozens of men, women and children and the wounding of hundreds more.” The council pronounced the “outrageous use of violence against civilians” constituted a violation of international law. (Russia, for the first time, acted with other members of the council against Syria, a long-time ally.) According to UN monitors, before the atrocities took place, the area had been bombarded with artillery and tank shells, weapons available only to the Syrian army. The Syrian government has blamed the massacre on terrorists and Islamic extremists. At least 10,000 people have died in Syria since protests against the Assad regime broke out in March 2011.

Additional World Book articles:

• Diplomacy
• Hafez al-Assad
• Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)

Feb. 10, 2012

United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on February 9 called the failure of the Security Council to agree to a resolution (a formal expression of opinion) on the situation in Syria “disastrous.” President Bashar al-Assad’s government has launched its most intense bombardment so far of rebel-held areas in and around the city of Homs. Communicating to Western media via social networking websites, activists in the rebellion reported an unprecedented assault on Homs, involving tanks and heavy artillery. The rebel-controlled suburb of Baba Amr was slammed yesterday with more than 200 rockets in the space of three hours.

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York City, Ban noted, “For too many months we have watched this crisis deepen. We have seen escalating violence, brutal crackdowns and tremendous suffering by the Syrian people. I deeply regret that the Security Council has been unable to speak with one clear voice to end the bloodshed.” A UN Security Council resolution demanding that President Assad give up power was vetoed by Russia and China on February 4.

Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations. Eskinder Debebe, UN Photo

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Feb. 8, 2012

France, Italy, Germany, and Spain yesterday followed the lead of the United Kingdom and the United States in recalling their ambassadors from Syria.The six Gulf Cooperation Council states–Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirate–also announced that that they were withdrawing their envoys as well as expelling the Syrian ambassadors from their capitals. The United Nations (UN) estimates that at least 7,200 people have died in the government crackdown on the 11-month-old rebellion against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. His father, Hafez al-Assad, a member of the Baath Party and commander of the air force, took power in Syria in 1970. He ruled until his death in 2000. Bashar al-Assad succeeded him as president.

The United Kingdom and the United States recalled their ambassadors on February 6. Speaking in the House of Commons, British Foreign Secretary William Hague labeled Assad’s regime “murderous” and stated: “There is no way it [the Assad regime] can recover its credibility internationally or with its own people.” After the U.S. Department of State issued a statement announcing the closure of the U.S. embassy in Damascus, international affairs experts suggested that it sent a strong signal that the administration of President Barack Obama believed there is nothing left to discuss with Assad.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad continues to kill civilians opposed to his regime despite international condemnation. AP/Wide World

On February 4, Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution (a formal expression of opinion) calling for Assad to step down. All 13 other members of the council, including France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, voted for the resolution, which backed an Arab League plan to halt the violence. After the vote, Secretary Hague noted, “More than 2,000 people have died since Russia and China vetoed the last draft resolution in October 2011. How many more need to die before Russia and China allow the UN Security Council to act?” Government forces in Syria renewed the shelling of the city Homs, the epicenter of the 11-month-old rebellion, as the UN vote took place.

Additional World Book articles

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• Foreign policy
• Lebanon

Nov. 28, 2011

The security forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have committed systematic “crimes against humanity” in their months-long crackdown on antigovernment protesters, the United Nations reported today in a study prepared by an independent panel. According the panel’s findings, civilians, including children, have been arrested arbitrarily, tortured, and murdered. In the latest violence, at least 23 people were killed across Syria during demonstrations yesterday.

In response to the violence used against its own people, the Arab League, by a vote of 19-to-3, imposed economic sanctions against the government of Syria. The sanctions freeze Syrian government assets held in league member states; cut off transactions with the Syrian central bank; halt funding by Arab governments for projects in Syria; ban senior Syrian officials from traveling to member states; and ban commercial flights between Syria and member states. While not a member of the Arab League, Turkey volunteered to act in accordance with the sanctions. According to United Nations estimates, as many as 3,500 people have died since the demonstrations began in March.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has come under severe international criticism for his government's continuing attacks on protesters demanding more political freedom. AP/Wide World

On November 14, Jordan’s King Abdullah II became the first Arab leader to openly call on Assad to leave office. In a BBC interview, Abdullah declared, “If Bashar [al-Assad] had an interest in his country he would step down.” The king went on to say that if he were in Assad’s position, he would make sure “whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo (the existing state of affairs).”

Additional World Book articles:

• Human rights
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Nov. 14, 2011

The Arab League on November 12 moved to suspend Syria on the grounds that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had defied an agreement with the League to stop the violent repression of pro-democracy demonstrators in that country. The Arab League is an organization of 22 Middle Eastern and African countries where Arabic is the main spoken language. The League threatened political and economic sanctions if Assad failed to comply. The agreement called for Assad’s government to halt the violence directed toward civilians, to withdraw all its security forces from civilian areas, and to release political prisoners, which are believed to number in the tens of thousands. An estimated 3,800 people have been killed in Syria since mid-March, when Assad’s forces began a violent crackdown on antigovernment protesters.

King Abdullah II     AP Photo

On November 14, Jordan’s King Abdullah II became the first Arab leader to openly call on Assad to leave office. In a BBC interview, Abdullah declared, “If Bashar [al-Assad] had an interest in his country he would step down.” The king went on to say that if he were in Assad’s position, he would make sure “whoever comes behind me has the ability to change the status quo (the existing state of affairs).”

Additional World Book articles:

• Middle East

President Barack Obama of the United States issued a statement today calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave office, and Obama froze all Syrian assets within U.S. jurisdiction. In a joint statement, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and British Prime Minister David Cameron also called on Assad to “step aside in the best interests of Syria and the unity of its people.” They asserted that Assad has “lost all legitimacy and can no longer claim to lead the country.” In Geneva, Switzerland, a United Nations (UN) human rights panel labeled the violent crackdown being waged against pro-democracy protesters in Syria a “crime against humanity.” The panel recommended that the UN Security Council refer Assad to the International Criminal Court for prosecution of alleged crimes.

The Syrian navy continues to shell the Syrian port of Latakia despite calls from Turkey and other Middle Eastern nations to halt the offensive. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began the assault on August 14 in response to massive antigovernment demonstrations in the city. His government claims that its forces are attempting to round up armed gangs that moved into Latakia to rob and terrorize the residents. The assault is the latest in a brutal crackdown attempting to end a five-month-old uprising against the Assad regime.

On August 15, the government of Turkey demanded that Assad withdraw his military from Latakia or face an unspecified reaction. Days earlier, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his ambassador from Syria’s capital, Damascus.

The uprising in Syria is part of what international affairs experts call “the Arab spring.” Similar popular uprisings in  Tunisia  and  Egypt  brought down long-standing governments earlier this year. Activists continue to battle oppressive governments in Libya and Yemen.

Additional World Book articles:

• Mubarak, Hosni
• Qadhafi, Mu`ammar al-

The United Nations is moving 26 nonessential staff members and their families from Syria due to the turmoil and violence there. The Syrian navy continues to shell the Syrian port of Latakia despite calls from Turkey and other Middle Eastern nations to halt the offensive. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad began the assault on August 14 in response to massive antigovernment demonstrations in the city. His government claims that its forces are attempting to round up armed gangs that moved into Latakia to rob and terrorize the residents. The assault is the latest in a brutal crackdown attempting to end a five-month-old uprising against the Assad regime.

On August 15, the government of Turkey demanded that Assad withdraw his military from Latakia or face an unspecified reaction. Days earlier, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia called for an end to the bloodshed in Syria and recalled his ambassador from Syria’s capital, Damascus.

The uprising in Syria is part of what international affairs experts call “the Arab spring.” Similar popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt brought down long-standing governments earlier this year. Activists continue to battle oppressive governments in Libya and Yemen.

Additional World Book articles:

• Mubarak, Hosni
• Qadhafi, Mu`ammar al-