Syrian War:

Helping Students Make Sense

of Syria
 REVIEW
AUTHORITARIANISM
concentrates power in the hands
of a leader or a small elite that is
not constitutionally responsible to
the body of the people.
. Authoritarian leaders often
exercise power without regard to
existing bodies of law, and they
usually cannot be replaced by
citizens choosing freely among
various competitors in elections.
DEMOCRATIC
literally, rule by the people.
from dmos (people)
and kratos (rule)
the supreme power is vested in
the people and exercised by them
directly or indirectly through a
system of representation usually
involving periodically held free
elections.
 The Arab Spring
* Is a wave of pro-democracy protest and
uprisings that took place in the Middle
East and North Africa beginning in 2010
and 2011, challenging some of the
regions entrenched authoritarian regimes.
 The Man Who Sparked the
Revolution
* It started on December 2010
when Muhammed Buoazizi,
a 26-year-old fruit-and-
vegetable vendor in the
Tunisian town of of Sidi
Buozid, sets fire to himself
in front of a local municipal
office in protest after being
mistreated by police.
 Vocabulary Words
a. favoring or making economic, political or
1. ousted social changes of a sweeping or extreme
nature.
2. repression b. cruelty; oppression; domination
3. dissent c. peace-making; pacifying; appeasing
d. to remove or force somebody from an office
4. radical or position
5. conciliatory e. to disagree or oppose an opinion
f. somebody who seeks or takes refuge in a
foreign country, especially to avoid war or
persecution
 Questions:
1. What are the roots of conflict in Syria?
2. Why has the conflict extended for so long?
3. Why isnt the US, Europe or the UN doing
anything about this conflict?
4. What would happen to Syria after the war?
How the Syrian War Started
Bashar Al-Assad
 Answers:
1. What are the roots of conflict?
The Assads heavily favored their sect and
crushed those who challenged them.
2. Why has the conflict extended for so long?
The rebel groups didnt have numbers,
weapons or unifying ideology to defeat Assad.
 Answers:
3. Why isnt the US, Europe or the UN doing anything about this conflict?
*Russia and China have blocked any kind of international effort against
Assad.
* US has not intervened openly because it has not found a group whos
aligned with its ideology and is worried that an intervention will give
strength to radical groups.
4. What would happen to Syria after the war?
a. Assad will fall eventually
b. There will be a possible struggle for power among the rebel groups
c. The conflict could extend to other countries.
Humanity Washed Ashore
What can you say after
watching the film clip?
 Group Work:
Group 1- Write an open Letter to our Govt Officials to accept
refugees in our country.
Group 2- Interview different people on what they know about the
on-going Syrian War. Video tape the said interview.
Group 3- Make a budget allocation on how much our
government will likely spend if we accept refugees here in the
Philippines.
Group 4- Think of ways on how to end the Syrian War.
 Criteria:
Content- 50%
Presentation-30%
Creativity- 20%
 Assignment

Be ready for the group

presentation next meeting.