Syria

The recent wave of the Tunisian revolution reached Syria in mid-March 2011, when a small southern city took to the streets to protest. The people were protesting the torture of students who had put up anti-government graffiti. The government reacted violently and with strong force. These students were brutally tortured for a crime that did not match their punishment. These demonstrations began to spread across the county. Syria's dictator, President Bashar al-Assad, started the use this force when signs of reform were present.In April, he set off a series of crackdowns that sent tanks into cities where they opened fire on demonstrators. I see these actions as barbaric. As an American citizen we are entitled to freedom for speech and protest. In Syria, loss of life could be the result for showing any form of reform. This crackdown carried on into summer and fall. Thousands of soldiers began launching attacks against the government ,which brought the country to the verge of a civil war.  According to the United Nations, 5.400 Syrians have been killed and thousands are missing. The war continues on today and the country is truly divided. This civil war creates extreme problems within the country and causes true chaos.It is hard to see a country reliving something to our civil war, in present day. Syria needs to take actions to help rebuild the country and the dictatorship must end. Syria is fighting with itself and there are no winners in this war.