Syria_KK

=__//**S**////**yria**//__ **by Kinga Kowalczyk, Samantha Caputo, and Manuela Burek**=

= = =Part I:=


 * ===Demographics:===
 * ===Median age: 22 years old===
 * ===Ethnicities: Arabs: 90.3%; Kurds, Armenians, and Other: 9.7%===
 * ===Religions: Sunni Muslim: 74%; Other Muslim: 16%; Christian 10%; and tiny Jewish communities===


 * ===Geography:===
 * ===Coastal region that borders with the Mediterranean Sea, but includes a narrow range of Anti-Lebanon mountains to the south.===
 * ===The western edge of Syria receives a satisfactory amount of rain, while the eastern region is dominated by a rocky desert known as al-Badiyah. Northeastern Syria contains fertile agricultural land.===
 * ===[[image:challenges3/map-syria.png]]===

>> === === >>> ====== >>> === === >>>> === ===
 * ===Economic Resources:===
 * ===Imports===
 * ===Machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical products, plastics, yarn, paper.===
 * ===Exports===
 * ===Crude oil, minerals, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber, textiles, clothing, meat and live animals, wheat.===
 * ===Jobs===
 * ===Agriculture: 17%===
 * ===Industry: 16%===
 * ===Services: 51.4%===
 * ===GDP compared to the U.S===
 * ===Syria: $5,100 est. 2011===
 * ===U.S: $48,100 est. 2011===


 * ===Political Structure:===
 * ===Republic under authoritarian regimeAnyone 18 years or older can vote.===
 * ===This means that the people have power in the country. They vote for the officials that they want.===
 * ===Everyone 18 years and older is allowed to vote.===
 * ===Elections are held every 7 years.===

=Part II:=


 * ===Public Service=== || ===Is it fulfilled?=== || ===Evidence=== ||
 * ===Public Service=== || ===No=== || ** [] **
 * Public service is provided by the government as a benefit to the people. This shows how the government uses force and violence for their use, never is it mentioned that the public is supplied with any needed service or supple. ** ||
 * ===Economic Decision=== || ===Yes=== || ** [] **
 * The government in Syria makes all decisions relating to money and control. They hold power to controlling the country’s import and income. ** ||
 * ===National Defense=== || ===Yes/No=== || ** [] **
 * They do have a military although it’s used against their people so it doesn’t provide defence for them. ** ||
 * ===Protecting Rights=== || ===No=== || ** [|http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/world/middleeast/in-rare-interview-assad-denies-ordering-crackdown-in-syria.html?_r=1#] **
 * “ Children had been arrested in house-to-house searches” this shows how without any explanation innocent children were taken into government’s custody. ** ||
 * ===Maintain Order=== || ===Yes=== || ** [] **
 * “ With overwhelming firepower and a willingness to kill, President Assad could hold onto power for months or even years, keeping the opposition from controlling any territory and denying it breathing space” This shows how the government uses force and threat to control the people from rebelling. In addition it is clear the police and military is present. ** ||

=Part III:=
 * ==1970== || ==1982== || ==2000== || ==2008== || ==2011== ||
 * = ===Hafez al-Assad took power and ruled very strictly and with much control.=== ||= ===Thousands of people died because the military took action against the first rebellion.===

||= ===Hafez al-Assad's son, Bashar al-Assad took power.=== ||= ===The country becomes weak and people become imprisoned to keep from rebelling.=== ||= ===Protests start all over the country to release prisoners causing more arrests and violent reactions.=== ||



=**Part IV:**=
 * Why is all of this violence happening?**


 * This whole issue has been going on for a long period of time and keeps on growing. In fact, the problem has not even been fixed yet. People began fighting more when students began to draw graffiti of anti-government symbols. They believed that a revolution would take Assad out of power. Because of the fact that the issue has been going on for a long time more people started to get into it because of the children becoming involved. No leaders were killed, but there has been support of the military to take away the protesters. We will not be able to tell how this will end, but we do know that on Thursday April 12th, 2012, they ceased fire at dawn, but the protests still went on the next morning.**

Syria. CIA. Syria. The World Factbook. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. < http://https :// www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html >. MacFarquhar, Neil. "Syria, Under Siege Inside and Out, Does Not Budge." Nytimes.com. The New York Times Company, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. The New York Times Company. "Syria." Nytimes.com. The New York Times Company, 13 Apr. 2012. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. < http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/syria/index.html>.  Cowell, Alan. "In Rare Interview, Assad Denies Ordering Crackdown in Syria."Nytimes.com. The New York Times Company, 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 15 Apr. 2012.  
 * "Subscriber Area Only." CultureGrams Online Database:. Brigham Young University, 1974. Web. 13 Apr. 2012. . **