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Since the Syrian crisis involves the possibility of a president stepping down, it is being more and more compared to Egypt and Nasser's reign. Assad wants the comparisons to stop because he believes that the Syrian state is different than that of Egypt's.

Another issue Turkey is constantly dealing with, is the problem with the thousands of Syrian refugees at their border, in addition to the mini-civil war w/the Kurds, and its questionable oil business with ISIS. This article points out Erdogan's requests for the EU to deliver more funds to control the border situation. Different point of view from the other two articles I bookmarked this week.

Moscow continues to push for peace talks between all the oppositions groups and the Syrian government. Russia believes that the best way to have peace is to avoid foreign interference and they call for sanctions to be lifted. 

A brief look at Syrian Christian positions in the civil war. It is also brought to light that Christians have been attack from almost every angle, so who is there to truly trust and support?

This article explores possible outcomes for Syrian Christians and the best situation for them if the regime falls, or if civil war continues

Qatar, whose former emir was quite close with Assad, not slowly draws from the civil war. A source who wishes to remain anonymous tells that Qatar still supports Syrians, but does not want to fuel the new religious conflict, rather wishes to be useful in finding a peaceful end.

This link is considered a refresher course on the Syrian civil war. It mentions how it started, who's involved, the reasoning behind the fighting, the death toll, the leadership, and much more.

The whole Syrian civil war began when 15 kids were arrested for writing anit-government things. Protestors began to fill the streets, peacefully, in 2011. The government opened fire on the protestors.

Jordan has taken in 628,175 Syrian refugees and Zaatari, one of the refugee camps, has grown from a temporary settlement into an informal city. Stores, school, hospitals, and mosques have been established, but many refugees still hope to one day return to Syria.

An estimated 100,000 people have died in the Syrian civil war including women, children, and other innocent bystanders. Chemical weaponry creates a different psychological aspect of immense fear that other weapons do not. It's terrifying because you can't see it or smell before it hits you. The weapons kill in minutes and are indiscriminate.

Upwards of 70,000 Syrian refugees move into Turkey as violence in the country increases. Russian airstrikes are helping Syria's government troops advance as Russia warns of a Turkish invasion into Syria-- continuing the tension between Turkey and Russia since the shooting down of a Russian fighter yet last year.

Arab states have began to jump on board offering support to the coalition against ISIS. UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon have recently voiced their support. Turkey, the only Arab member of NATO has voiced their lack of support in the coalition thus far. Saudi, the home to major religious cities, feels like a direct threat to ISIS and have made it clear that they will be playing a major role in the war against the Islamic State. UAE allegedly initiated bombings from Egyptian bases on Libya due to islamic militia takeovers of major cities and institutions. Arab states along with France, Germany, and Britain have agreed to form a "coordinated military campaign." Bringing in Assad from Syria is somewhat crucial, but the coalition is hesitant due to the loss of the Assad Regime's legitimacy over the past years of civil strife. Official plans of attack are still sketchy, but are definitely in the works. The coalition of states have made it clear that in order to tackle this ISIS threat, they must band together to dynamically exterminate the Islamic State from all angles.

This article explores the border changes in the middle east. Specifically, Syria border changes which are still being effected from the two World Wars. There could be a large implosion in the Middle East from the ineffectiveness of the borders.

Approximately 80 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan live in urban areas in the north of Jordan, while the remaining 20 percent live in the Za'atari, Marjeeb al-Fahood, Cyber City and Al-Azraq camps. Northern Jordan has been dramatically altered by the Syrian civil war.

This article discusses the influential role the Ba'ath Party has played in Syria's history. It also dives into how greatly integrated the ideology of this party is with everyday life of a Syrian - How children grow learning the ways of the party and "to love their leader"