Yay! Another Profile of the Syrian Republic. In April 2011 Bashar Al-Assad made an end to the 48-year-old state of emergency but demonstrations continued. Massive anti-regime protests broke out in several cities in Syria. Protesters demanded the release of all political prisoners, more freedoms for individuals and an end to pervasive corruption. In this source the European Forum analyzes and writes a profile of Syria in recent years- allowing for quantitative and qualitative analysis on my part.

President: Bashar al-Assad In power since succeeding his father 2000, Bashar al-Assad is fighting for control of his country after protests against his rule turned into a full-scale armed rebellion. This source provides a brief overview of Assad's regime and actions in recent years.

March 19 marks the 10th anniversary of the American invasion of Iraq. But the U.S. conflict with Iraq began long before that. Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, and American forces were fighting Iraqis continuously for the 13 years that followed in order to enforce UN-mandated no-fly zones, punish Saddam Hussein for attempting to assassinate former President George H. This timeline lays out (literally) all of the United States' involvement in Iraq. Again, it's very important to have a thorough understanding of the history of a country before analyzing the present as you can see patterns and determine motivations based on past occurrences and trends.

Islamic State stands with al-Qaeda as one of the most dangerous jihadist groups, after its gains in Syria and Iraq. Under its former name Islamic State in Iraq, the Levant was formed in April 2013, growing out of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).This article is another synopsis of the rise of ISIS and the role they play in Syria and Iraq today

When we think of the rise of ISIS, we often consider the people joining ISIS and their motivations, but often forget to consider what made them choose ISIS instead of a different Jihadist group (namely Al Qaeda). This article addresses that and much more in very accessible diction.

To understand the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and why they are doing what theyre doing, it is extremely important to understand their background as it explains their motivation. This source explains the backround of ISIS in great detail- from their roots in Al Qaeda to the Paris shootings. Long, but well interesting and well organized.

Maps clearly and simply illustrate the progress ISIS is making in Syria and Iraq over time, labeled as "ISIS sanctuaries". This way you can have a visual representation of ISIS's power because the land they control often is oil-rich, so with it come people and capital.

The rapid advance across Syria and Iraq by militant fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014 threw the region into chaos. The jihadist group, which has fighters from across the world, announced the establishment of a "caliphate" - an Islamic state - stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq. This source illustrates the battles currently in Syria with detailed graphics. Additionally, it provides breakdowns of airstrikes and countries' military action within Syria. There is also a map that compares the location of oil and the location of IS controlled territory.

After two decades of talks that failed to slow the relentless pace of global warming, negotiators from almost 200 countries are widely expected to sign a deal in the next two weeks to take concrete steps to cut emissions. Interesting global view to really zoom out and consider what green-energy means for countries that are trying to develop or do not have a stable economy. There are a few good graphics throughout the article.

Just to expand on what Scott said, I found this graphic that, as a visual learner, really helped me understand what's going on right now.

More casual and less official source but does a really good job at contrasting 3 Islamic groups often seen as being essentially the same as they are all perpetrators of Jihad. However, there are key differences between Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS and these are important to note if we plan to combat them in any way.

Insight into the goals and values of ISIS. Interesting to compare with traditional Islam and how ISIS interprets the religion and then puts it into action. The opaque curtain between ISIS and the outside world has left a huge gap in our knowledge on how to predict their actions or defeat them. It's a really long article but if you only have time to skim: pay attention to the large statements in bold and sections the reading is organized in to learn about specific aspects of their regime.

The French authorities said on Monday that one of the terrorists who struck Paris on Friday evening was the same man who entered Europe through Greece on a Syrian passport last month, providing new evidence that the attackers used the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants to further their plot.

The attacks on Paris Friday night left more than 120 people dead and the world reeling, wondering what would compel someone to carry out such an atrocity. We know that on Saturday, ISIS, or the Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack. This display of terrorism associated with Islam furthers the Islamophobia we see often in our society today. How these attacks will influence the Islamic community is important to note because it is more than likely that the religion will be criminalized unfairly.

Islamic State's success in Paris has sharply increased the geopolitical stakes over the war in Syria. As investigators piece together how the attacks were planned and executed, Western military and diplomatic efforts in that country will intensify. Interesting analysis over how this will change the fight against IS as a whole.

Catalonia's parliament approved a resolution Monday to launch a process of secession from Spain, vowing that the wealthy region would no longer submit to decisions by Spanish institutions while it was taking steps to establish an independent republic. Given how much of Spain's economy Catalonia contains this could possibly have a ripple effect through the entire EU.

Interesting article on the US's action and relationships in the middle east right now given the current violence in the West Bank and Gaza. Also, the article gives us insight on the relationship between Israel and the US after the controversial Iran Deal.

The Russian airline Kogalymavia has blamed "external influence" for Saturday's Sinai plane crash which killed 224 people. A senior airline official said: "The only reasonable explanation is that it was [due to] external influence." An investigation by aviation experts using data from the aircraft's "black boxes" has yet to give its conclusions. The idea that the plane was brought down by an external force hints that somebody shot it down- possibly causing a rift in international diplomacy.

A member of my spanish class shared this graphic in class and I thought it was a great visual of the current condition. By It can be difficult to fully comprehend the scope of the refugee crisis flaring up across Europe based on the numbers alone. That's where Lucify comes in. The Finnish data visualization site took the U.N.'s monthly count of asylum-seekers from 2012 through 2015 and used the numbers to create an amazing animated graphic.