Syrian Civil War

The conflict in Syria has gained national headlines as governments around the world contemplate action. The crisis began with demonstrations in 2011 as part of the Arab Spring. These demonstrators wanted President Bashar al-Assad to resign and the Ba'ath Party to relinquish rule over the nation. (The Ba'ath Party is an Arab political party that gained support in the 1960's. Saddam Hussein was also a Ba'athist.) Assad's army responded with violence to quell the uprising.

Assad is supported by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah (a terrorist organization according to the United States government). The rebels' cause is supported by the Western governments, though no direct military intervention has taken place so far. The governments, including France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have supplied the rebels with arms and non-lethal aid. The rebels have also received support from Al-Qaeda affiliated groups.

In 2013, reports were released that claimed that Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people. Many governments, especially those that were sympathetic to the rebels, denounced Assad's actions. President Barack Obama of the United States declared that this act crossed a "red line." As more reports of chemical weapons use, including from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Upon the completion of the United States' investigation and an August 21, 2013, attack on a Damascus suburb, President Obama began to move United States destroyers toward Syria. On August 29, British Parliament votes down military intervention in Syria. Nonetheless, two days later President Obama decided that the United States should intervene militarily in Syria. However, basic "principles" to diplomatically end Syria's chemical weapons programs were brokered by Russia prior to any American strike.