...The United Nations gave a grim new count Wednesday of the human cost of Syria's civil war, saying the death toll has exceeded 60,000 in 21 months - far higher than recent estimates by anti-regime activists. The day's events illustrated the escalating violence that has made recent months the deadliest of the conflict: As rebels pressed a strategy of attacking airports and pushing the fight closer to President Bashar Assad's stronghold in Damascus, the government responded with deadly airstrikes on restive areas around the capital. A missile from a fighter jet hit a gas station in the suburb of Mleiha, killing or wounding dozens of people who were trapped in burning piles of debris, activists said. Gruesome online video showed incinerated victims - one still sitting astride a motorcycle - or bodies torn apart. "He's burning! The guy is burning!" an off-camera voice screamed in one video over a flaming corpse. It was unclear if the government had a military strategy for attacking the gas station. At least one of the wounded wore a military-style vest often used by rebel fighters. Human rights groups and anti-regime activists say Assad's forces often make little effort to avoid civilian casualties when bombing rebel areas. Syria's conflict began in March 2011 with protests calling for political change but has evolved into a full-scale civil war. As the rebels have grown more organized and effective, seizing territory in the north and establishing footholds around Damascus,...
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...Annotated Bibliography Spyer, Jonathan. "The Battle for Aleppo; A report from the front lines of the Syrian civil war." The Weekly Standard 8 Oct. 2012. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 25 Oct. 2016 Article Link: Click here for page Summary Annotation: In the old city of Aleppo with a history of religion and the Dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad. A reporter named Jonathan Spyer went along with a group called Free Syrian Army (FSA) to the center of Aleppo and what Spyer says “ There is a sharp change in atmosphere as one enters Aleppo city from the surrounding countryside.” The city changes into a rubble streeted place with craters all over from the bombs that struck that spot. As they got deeper into the neighborhood, they people who lived there...
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...seek another suitable husband. At the same time, Philip of Alsace, Count of Flanders, arrived on pilgrimage, and demanded that Sibylla be married off to one of his vassals. Philip and Baldwin also planned an alliance with the Byzantine Empire for a naval attack on Egypt; but none of these plans came to fruition. * Meanwhile, Saladin planned his own invasion of the kingdom from Egypt. Learning of Saladin's plans, Baldwin IV left Jerusalem with, according to William of Tyre, only 375 knights to attempt a defense at Ascalon, but Baldwin was blockaded there by Saladin, who, again according to William of Tyre, had 26,000 men. Accompanying Baldwin was Raynald of Chatillon, lord of Oultrejordain, who had just been released from captivity in Aleppo in 1176. Raynald was a fierce enemy of Saladin, and was the effective commander of the army, with King Baldwin too ill to command it personally. Also with the army were Odo de St Amand, master of the Knights Templar, Baldwin of Ibelin, his brother Balian, Reginald of Sidon, and Joscelin III of Edessa. Another Templar force attempted to meet Baldwin at Ascalon, but they were also besieged at Gaza. * Saladin continued his march towards Jerusalem, thinking that Baldwin would not dare to follow him with so few men. He attacked Ramla, Lydda and Arsuf, but because Baldwin was supposedly not a danger, he allowed his army to be spread out over a large area, pillaging and foraging. However, Baldwin and the Templars both escaped their blockades...
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...declare its mission accomplished. Similar to this civil war, questions have been raised regarding the ongoing tumultuous fight in Syria. What confidence can anyone have that the civil war in Syria will reach a definitive conclusion – the ousting of the Ba’ath Party government and the establishment of a democratic regime? The battle taking place in Aleppo is a case in point. As Syria’s second largest city it will provide the turning point so desperately sought in a civil war that has already claimed 120, 000 lives. In practice this is proving to be an elusive concept. The forces loyal to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hold the west of the city, and the Free Syrian Army hold the east. The regime has only committed troops on the frontline, but is reluctant to throw in the rest of its ranks, opting to shell and bomb from air. Questions and theories have been raised as to why there has been no serious attempt to recapture the city, one of them being the fear of defections if units become detached from their officers. But in theory, it is clear that it would be relatively easy and the probability of a successful recapture of Aleppo is very high. Despite this, there has been no movement by Assad’s forces. Similarly, the fight from the rebels’ perspective is not going well either. Although fighting for the democratic rights of their people, the rebels’ presence has been contested by much of the city’s population. The insurgents are not seen as liberators, but as harbingers of...
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...To what extent had the crusader states overcome their problems by the end of 1144? Having succeeded in taking Jerusalem in 1099 the crusaders’ problems were just beginning. Despite some turning back home, many stayed facing problems such as geographical situation, climate, unification under Zengi, internal divisions, military threats, lack of manpower and a different culture. However the period 1097 to late 1144 was, in general, a successful time for the Franks. They consolidated the achievements of the First Crusade and founded four fully viable Latin States, although the loss of Edessa to Zengi in December 1144 was a most serious setback. Two particular features stand out when reading contemporary narratives of this time. First, the huge energy and effort required to establish the Frankish hold on the Holy Land is immediately apparent. The need for almost ceaseless campaigning – against a series of enemies – and exhausting marches and counter – marches is striking; the energy of King Baldwin II is especially worthy of note. Secondly, there were only four appeals to the West for the crusades compared to at least fifteen for the period 1149 – 1186. This emphasises the Franks strength in this first phase of settlement and also reflects the relative weaknesses of their enemies. One of the main problems that the crusaders had to face up was the difficulty of terrain and climate as well as their new geographical location. The region settled by the crusaders, which soon...
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...Sara Wadlow PS 434 Research Paper May 3, 2015 Introduction The Syrian Civil War has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Since 2011, protests and attacks have been a daily occurrence, and the regime of Bashar Al-Assad has done what it believed was necessary to stop rebel forces and end protests. As such, Assad has committed many questionable, at best, and criminal, at worst, actions against the civilians of Syria in an effort to stop the rebels. The indiscriminate warfare Assad has used against Syrian citizens is shown in multiple international doctrines as illegal, and is thus a war crime, which should be prosecuted. The Statue of the International Criminal Court defines war crimes as “serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in international armed conflict” and “serious violations of the laws and customs applicable in an armed conflict not of an international character (ICRC 2016). Section IV of Rule 156 of the International Committee of the Red Cross, titled Other Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed During a Non-International Armed Conflict, lists use of prohibited weapons subject to criminal sanctions, and specifically references the Chemical Weapons Convention, Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and the Ottawa Convention as laying the groundwork for this guideline. This paper will address historical context of the Syrian Civil War, United Nations documents concerning...
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...foreign mercenaries".[76] The conflict has no clear fronts, with clashes taking place in many towns and cities across the country.[77] The Arab League, United States, European Union, and other countries condemned the use of violence against the protesters. The Arab League suspended Syria's membership because of the government's response to the crisis, but granted the Syrian National Coalition Syria's seat on 6 March 2013.[78] The Arab League also sent an observer mission in December 2011, as part of its proposal for peaceful resolution of the crisis. A further attempt to resolve the crisis was made through the appointment of Kofi Annan as a special envoy. Until late 2011 the armed conflict had not reached the biggest cities of Damascus and Aleppo.[79] Suicide bombings in the capital marked growing influence of...
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...In this quote, Gerald W. Johnson is asserting that anyone can be a hero, no matter what you are made of, as long as there is a demand. In order to be a hero, according to Johnson, there just has to be a demand for one. In times of need, anybody can be a hero even if they do not possess the typical hero characteristics. To most people, a hero is defined as someone who is strong―physically and mentally―, brave, as well as powerful. However, Johnson believes that these characteristics do not matter when it comes to how a hero arises in society. Therefore, during times where society is in need of someone to guide or save them, anyone, even those who are considered the least qualified, can step up and be a hero because of the demand for one. This...
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...Push and Pull Factors The civil war in Syria is among the most recent civil wars. The war started on the 15th of March 2011.The wars led to one of the largest exoduses in recent history where millions o Syrians led their country to seek asylum in countries in their neighborhood and beyond. There was an ever-worsening humanitarian crisis that led to the civil war. The refugees resettled in various places including the United States of America, Lebanon among other destinations. The war broke out when the government wanted to intimidate numerous demonstrators of a famous group “Arab Spring”. This suppression of the demonstrators resulted in a nationwide rebellion leading to the devastation of places such as Aleppo with the consequence of that was destruction of the culture of the affected areas. (Semple, Kirk.2014). Over 612,000 people have led to neighbouring countries although the United Nations has managed to register about512,000 of them. Those registered are in the UN camps and the same body is finding it very hard to supply them with their needs. Those who have not been lucky to reach the UN camps have fled to other countries ad resettled there with hope that all will be well. The result for this is that the number of migrants and refugees from Syria has ever been rising sharply. A report compiled by the European Union border agency reveals that 107,365 undocumented migrants attempting to cross the EU illegally which a significant 48% increase from the year...
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...Which of the following was more important in the success of the first crusade: • Muslim disunity • Strengths of the Crusader army The first crusade’s success came as a surprise following the failure of the Peoples Crusade, this was due to many factors not only Muslim disunity and strengths within the Crusader army but also Byzantine support and Crusader motivation, that weren’t previously factors for the peoples crusade. however it is debatable which is the most important reason for the success, Muslim disunity certainly contributed to the success of the crusaders, however this was only a part of the overall reasons for their victories, as the crusaders themselves had many strengths such as strong leadership. Whilst this is true i think that the overall reason for success was indeed the muslims disunity as they made themselves easy opponents to defeat. In the years of the crusade there was a divide within the muslims, the Sunni and Shia Muslims hated each other more than they hated the Christian Crusaders. This led to internal problems and wars, and the many leaders that this affected used their armies against each other. This was in itself a distraction from what could have been used as a strong, united Muslim army against the Christian crusaders. This has been recognised by many historians as a big weakness with the Muslims as T. Asbridge says ‘Had the muslims of the near east united in the face of the first crusade it could not possibly have prevailed.’ In 1097...
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...This conflict, like many others, it has its origins in corruption, political capture, poverty, on the violation of human rights, but also inequality. Social movements, spontaneous groups of people, organizations started to claim their rights to achieve a more egalitarian system. Unfortunately four years later, this crisis has finally become one of the biggest disasters in recent history. More than 250,000 Syrians have lost their lives in almost 4 years of armed conflict, that begin with anti-government protest before reaching a catastrophic civil war. In this war the armed forces of the Syrian government faced against to armed rebel groups known in the West as the "Syrian opposition”. At first the protests were not very successful and it seemed...
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...In the 1950’s, there was a large rise in Arab nationalism that “led to the emigration of tens and thousands of Armenians from Islamic countries throughout the Middle East.” (Armenian Immigration) During this time of “increasing Arab and Turkish nationalism, Islamic fundamentalism and socialism”, Armenians living in the middle east had no safety at all. (Lehman, Jeffrey) At the time, “700,000 Armenians immigrated to Europe or the United States.” (Lehman, Jeffrey) Krikor, an Armenian who resided in Aleppo, Syria, stayed in Syria for four years and had to rebuilt it twice because bombs had hit his home two times. “His wife had shrapnel lodged in her leg and chest after a bomb tore down their neighbor’s house but the family refused to leave their home in the city’s Armenian Quarter.” Then a bomb almost took his best friend and his family from and three days post the bomb he packed “he packed his wife and two daughters into a tac and fled for Lebanon.” (Collard, Rebecca) Those Armenian immigrants from the mid 1950’s and Krikor from present day both had no choice but to immigrate out of their homes because of violence and persecution toward them and those around them. Mr. Barin, an Armenian immigrant whom I interviewed, lived in Turkey in...
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...When introduced to the three Weird Sisters, they've gathered amidst lightening and thunder and move the foggy and filthy air, which seems just as mysterious and gloomy as they are. They come across a wife of a sailor, who then offends one of them, causing the witches to cast a spell on her husband, chanting, “Her husband’s to Aleppo gone, master o’ th’ Tiger; / But in sieve I’ll thither sail, / And, like a rat without a tail, / I’ll do, I’ll do, I’ll do” (1.3.8-11). Because the wife didn’t give one of the witches any of her chestnuts, she was forced to turn to witchcraft, cursing the sailor on his trip to Aleppo by draining the life out of him, and not allowing him to sleep for eighty-one weeks, which will make him waste away in agony. Not being able to succeed in the unnatural world, resulted in the Weird Sisters using their sorcery in able to achieve success. Once the Weird Sisters inform Macbeth about his future and he then notifies his wife, Lady Macbeth, she is quick to create a proposal to Macbeth, planning to murder King Duncan in order for him to fulfill his prophecy of becoming the King of England. While fabricating this plot to kill the king she invokes spirits, praying, “Come, you spirits / That...
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...The Spring of 2011 in the Arab world was markedly different from its predecssors. “The Arab Spring” as it was called began in Tunisia and spread across the region (Al Jazeera). The protestors in this revolt wanted a myriad of things. Some wanted democracy, respect for civil rights, and some want Islamization of government and a movement to theocracy. Syria, once a province of the Ottoman Empire, is a small middle-eastern nation between Lebanon and Turkey. In March 2011, pro-Democracy Arab Spring protestors who were marching to decry the arrest and torture of teen graffiti artists were fired upon by police. After the shootings, many more protestors joined the public displays of defiance (BBC ). After nationwide unrest and a refusal by President Assad to abdicate, the protestors began to arm themselves (Semple). The violence in the country escalated so quickly that by June of 2013, 90,000 people had been killed in the fighting and that number moved to 250,000 by August of 2015 (BBC ). Into the fray came the self-stylized Islamic State. This terrorist group which is opposed to Assad is fighting to create a Muslim caliphate throughout Iraq and Syria. In June of 2014, the group claimed that it’s caliphate had been established, which lead to US airstrikes to destroy the group, thus entering another belligerent into the fight (BBC). The Syrian Civil War was killed more than 250,000 people and approximately 11-12 million of the nation’s 22 million people are displaced. Approximately...
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...The Crusades Through Arab Eyes: Part I The Crusades Through Arab Eyes, by Amin Maalouf, originally published in 1983, takes a new approach to telling an old history from the point-of-view of Muslim historians. Throughout the text, Maalouf focuses on how Muslims perceive the nearly 200-year-long slaughters by Western religious zealots that took Arab cities and holy grounds, regardless of how violent the means and how those perceptions have lead to contemporary ideological wars in the Middle East. Through Arab Eyes presents a compelling history of the series of wars by European Christians that sought to seize holy places under Muslim control between the 11th and 13th centuries. Maalouf tells the story of the seizure of Muslim people and their lands. Between the two disparaging accounts —the Arab view, a bloody slaughter from the historical accounts of exclusively Muslim experts and the same events portrayed as dignified religious conquests by Western historians — Maalouf pulls off not only a convincing argument but one that explores the breach of the Islamic nations by Christian crusaders. Part one, “Invasions” reveals that the Muslim people’s incomprehension of the crusades themselves and the lack of organization among their ranks, lead to their devastation during the invasions. To understand the Muslim perspective from which this book is told, it’s worth knowing a thing or two about its author, Amin Maalouf. Maalouf is perhaps the best-fit person to construct a book like...
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