I hope this post might help a few members who care or are interested in what is going on in Syria.
It rambles a bit and is a very basic history.
It's the civilians that are always the most horribly effected.

Please take a few minutes to give it a read
                                                            
                                                                                 SYRIA

Ancient Syria was made up of what we now call Lebanon, The Palestinian Territories, Israel, Jordan, Syria and most of Iraq.
The Roman Empire had one of their greatest cities in Syria due to the great wealth of that area.

Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth

In 300AD Christianity began under the Romans and the locals were forced to convert. For centuries Syria was the centre of the Christian world.

In 600AD Islam arrived in Syria and within 40 years had overthrown Christianity as the main religion.

In the 11th century the Crusades began in the hope that Christians could regain control of the 'Holy Lands'.
During the 200 year time frame of the Crusades, Muslims had fought amongst themselves as well, but in 1187 a great Arab leader Saladin reunited Greater Syria and the Muslims retook Jerusalem from the Christians.
Saladin to this day is a great hero of many Muslims and especially Syrians because he threw out the invading West and retook Jerusalem.
Saladin was a Sunni Muslim.

From the 13th century up until World War I Syria fell first into the Egyptian and then the Ottoman Empires.

When World War I kicked off, Syria was part of the Ottoman Empire who were allied with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empires.
The British recruited rebel Arab fighters to help beat the Turks.
Prince Faisal, the leader of these rebels was promised Syria by the British for his help, but Britain had already promised Syria to France in a secret agreement to carve up the Middle East between them after the war.
The French crushed Faisal's Arab Nationalists and broke up Syria.The French created Greater Lebanon to give to their Christian allies and started taxing Syrians highly.

In 1925 there was a Syrian Revolution against the French's poor treatment of Syrians, but the French did what Assad is doing now and over a 2 year brutal crackdown the French regained control.
The Arab Nationalists in Syria were Sunni Muslims and they never took to French rule.
The French enlisted the Alawite Arabs within Syria to keep the dissident Sunni's in order and that's what gave the Alawites the springboard to the power that they still hold today.

In the distant past, Sunni Muslims have seen the Alawite Arab tribe as more heretical than Jews and Christians so have brutally persecuted these Alawite's.
In the 14th century, Sunni's slaughtered 20 thousand Alawhite's and they had to flee to the hills of the Syria/Lebanon boarder that they still inhabit today.
Alawites are Shia Muslims.

In 1946, after World War 2, Alawites were at the heart of the new Independant State of Syria, and in this new Independant State the country was racked with turmoil. Sunni's still dominated the government.

Hafez-al-Assad was a young activist and member of new Arab socialist movement within Islam called Ba'athism. They wanted a secular united Middle East.
Hafez joined the military and completed his pilot training in the USSR.He began plotting with other Ba'athists to take over control of Syria which was still plagued by instability.
In 1963 he was part of a coup that took control.This coup was mainly Ba'athists who ousted the Sunni Government.
Turmoil still continued in Syria so in 1970 Hafez-al-Assad himself mounted another coup and took control Of Syria.

Most Syrians, tired of the continuous instability and turmoil since Independence welcomed a strong leader. Even if he was an Alawite.
Assad cracked down on any opposition and created an oppressive police state to accomplish stability.
He also protected minority communities within Syria like the Kurds and Christians and opened many schools, allowing women to be educated.

When Hafez was young and becoming part of the Arab Ba'ath movement he had a few personal battles with another fairly new Muslim movement. 'The Muslim Brotherhood'.
The Muslim Brotherhood are Sunni Muslins who wanted a strict Islamic state in Syria and not the secular society of the Ba'athists.

During the late 1970s and early 80s the Brotherhood started a terror campaign against minorities within Syria and even attempted to assassinate Assad.
In 1982, in the Syrian city of Hama ( a Muslim Brotherhood stronghold) the Brotherhood waged a full scale rebellion.They killed dozens of Ba'athist officials and police stations were over run. Hama was declared 'liberated' by the Brotherhood.
Hafez-al-Assad cracked down in brutal fashion.20 thousand people were killed in Hama and most of the city destroyed.
In Damascus, Assad celebrated the victory over the Brotherhood with a parade and over the next 30 years The Muslim Brotherhood were firmly held down and suppressed.

Hafez-al-Assad died in 2000 and later that year his son Bashar-al-Assad won the Presidential election of which he was the only candidate.

Bashar-al-Assad was the second born son of Hafez-al-Assad.
In 1994 Bashar was in London doing postgraduate studies in ophthalmology when his elder brother, and heir apparent, Bassel died in a car accident so Bashar was recalled to Syria and began being groomed for power.
When Bashar took over leadership from his father it was initially thought he would be a potential reformer. He did however just continue strict control of his opponents and the economic reforms he did introduce slightly benefited the Syrian middle class and greatly benefited very few people with Assad connections ie Alawites.
Between 2000 and 2010 Syria suffered a major drought which severely affected it's crucial agriculture sector.
This rural poverty combined with a large population growth meant Syria's cities were filling up with many unemployed and disillusioned citizens .

In 2010 the 'Arab Spring' started to sweep through the area.
In 2011, revolution started in Syria and Assad started to crack down on it.

Syria has an estimated population of 23 million people.
Alawites make up approximately 12% of the population.
Christians make up approximately 10%.
Sunni's make up approximately 65%

This post by Artist Sarah Sandin pretty much summed it up for me. 

I don't propose to have any definitive solution - sorry - I do know however know that bombing raids tend to have very little constructive effect, other than in the minds of those who think this is how you solve the worlds problems.

what if, as the Russian and Syrian govts, argue,the nerve gas was released by the "rebels"(having been supplied by the West), knowing full well that Obama had stated that Chemical weapons were the Red line which could trigger US "intervention"??

Why would the Syrians use chemical weapons a day or so after the UN chemical weapons inspectors had arrived? They waited till the inspectors got there?
The US used chemical weapons in Iraq as well as DU. Israel loves using chemical weapons on civilians. Not a peep.
Can somebody show me the evidence that the Syrian Govt did this because thus far I havent seen any proof whatsoever.
The solution for me is for the West to stop backing all this Arab spring BS under the guise of democracy.

Not a popular sentiment I am sure....but to be clear I am not pro-Assad, I'm pro-humanity. Bombing raids dont kill the baddies.They normally kill people like you and I who just want to mind their own business, bring up their kids, be successful in their careers etc.

This whole thing makes me soooo sad.

Wow MX they are some weird views. I have no great solution for the problem but saying it was the rebels or the Americans using chem weapons seems a little left of centre for me.

Assad is ne bad MF and has been for a long long time. I am no lover of war and bombs etc but he should be taken out in my view.

Civilian casualties would be few due to promise bombing high media profile though but certainly no worse than Assad and his regime who are the lowest of the low

Egypt mows down over 1000 civilians peacefully protesting a coup(but dont use those words...) and the US asks for restraint....but with Syria they are prepared to go to war?

^ What a GREAT way to sum up what's happening!

What can an ordinary person do to help in some way?, what can we do?,can someone here say please?. Seems protesting and sending emails and letters to the relevant people (all of which would probably be ignored anyhow) all take time and thats not a luxury that people there have at present, how many people there or in any other wartorn country are killed or injured in the time it takes for us to have a second cup of coffee?.

The world stinks sometimes, the Human race is beyond understanding, i despair.

this pic sums up the west vs middle east for me.

i dont know solutions or whats really happening we all don't but i smell a rat here.

i switch the news off all the time as i hate conflicts esp when justified as peace.

When I found out I was delighted and proud of the Uk and encouraged.
I think it shows that true democracy is still just hanging in there in the UK and I really hope the it will inspire a lot of people.

Ordinary people can do their best.
Ordinary Syrians (civilians) have to work hard at just staying alive.
It is up to the rest of the world to help.
www.unicef.org.uk/landing-pages/donate-syria/?gclid=CI3R26mnpbkCFfHKtAodqCkA-Q&sissr=1
If we were all active, our emails and letters and protests couldn't be ignored.
I don't know about you but my messages to my MP are always replied to.
Please don't despair.

Go George Galloway !

Sorry, but bombing civilians into the Stone Age would not be doing "what is right'...

Yet another war against muslims? FFS...

I have no idea what the political climate is in the UK, but I can tell you that the majority of American's according to the polls have had enough of military conflicts.  The American People are sick and tired of war and everything that comes with it.  We all understand that the US Economy is a War Economy, but at some point the people have to stand up and say enough is enough and I think we are at that point.  President Obama will put the decision to a vote on September 9th and don't be surprised if the US Government follows the lead of the British Government and says no to war.   The only difference will be that Obama will probably still proceed with military action regardless of the vote.