The International

Despite President Bashar Al-Assad’s claims in his speech on June 20 of the country’s immunity to social unrest, Syria has been unable to avoid the wave of protests that started in the Middle East last winter. Mild protests began in January, but full-fledged demonstrations that began on March 18, just one day before the NATO intervention in Libya, immediately resulted in 25 protesters dead in clashes with police, as reported by Al Arabia. The conflict has only escalated, with government tanks having been used to put down ever-growing demonstrations. The towns of Daraa, Homs and Jisr Al-Shughour remain constant hotbeds of violence between security forces and certain segments of the populat…

Settled in the Middle East since ancient times, the Kurds remain the largest ethnic group without a state of their own in the region. About 35 million are split between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, with small diaspora groups primarily in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Kurds’ present situation is rooted in the decision to partition areas of the former Ottoman Empire by Great Britain and France after World War I. Today, the Kurdish people struggle for self-determination and the recognition of their ethnic identity within nations where they have significant populations. For example, it is illegal for them to speak their language in Turkey, and the country’s constitution provides for o…