Syrian Civil War

The Syrian Civil War barely receives any headlines, but there have been over 200,000 deaths and created a humanitarian crisis with 9 million refugees flooding into neighboring countries. What started as an attempt to continue the momentum of the Arab Spring it has devolved into a sectarian crisis, which some analysts view as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Complicating things are the delicate relationships and alliances that pull Russia and the United States in. Read the following links to answer the questions below: The links: http://abcnews.go.com/International/bashar-al-assad-interview-defiant-syrian-president-denies/story?id=15098612#.T53h0RzwhVh http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-17258397 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/syria-arming-the-rebels/ The questions: 1. How did this Arab Spring revolution turn into the quagmire that we now see? 2. What has been the US' role in this situation? What should be our course moving forward? 3. What do you think will happen to resolve this war? 4. List an additional 7 things you learned about.

Hosni Mubarak

Hosni Mubarak was the Egyptian head of state from 1982-2011. Read through the articles below to get a sense of his reign and answer the questions below: The links: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-12301713 http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2014070735_egyptmubarak29.html http://www.aucegypt.edu/gapp/cairoreview/pages/articleDetails.aspx?aid=233 Questions: 1. Why was Mubarak's reign so unpopular with many Egyptians? 2. What positives did he accomplish for Egypt and the US' interests in the Middle East? 3. How should the US have responded to the situation? What are the benefits and draw backs to intervening and not getting involved?

Picture Show

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/493/picture-show?act=1#play Click on the link above and listen to a segment from the National Public Radio show called This American Life. This particular episode has a segment about life for Palestinian Settlers in the West Bank. Photographs and other means of "mapping" are done by Israeli soldiers. The question becomes: Why do this and how does this bring about a peaceful resolution to this conflict? Listen to this segment and answer the following questions: 1. What do you believe is the ultimate purpose to these techniques used by the Israeli military? 2. What benefits and consequences are provided to Israel and the Palestinians through this? 3. Defend or refute these measures used by the Israeli army. Why?